NASA Astronauts Return to Earth After Extended Stay on ISS
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft landed at the International Space Station (ISS) after a 28-hour flight, marking the end of a 9-month ordeal for three NASA astronauts who were stranded in space due to technical issues. The Crew-10 mission, which includes Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskow, US astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers and Takuya Ōnishi, will see the latter three work in space for the next few weeks.
The prolonged stay of the US astronauts, who were initially meant to spend only a week on the ISS, has garnered significant attention. They arrived at the station on June 6, 2024, aboard a Boeing-Starliner spacecraft, only to be stuck for nearly a year due to technical problems. In March 2025, Elon Musk revealed that the stranded astronauts could have returned to Earth six months earlier, citing that SpaceX could have launched an additional Dragon spacecraft. Musk attributed the delay to the US government’s initial refusal to grant permission, which he claimed was a result of the previous administration’s policies.
In a recent video message, the astronauts expressed gratitude to the new US administration, with astronaut Barry Wilmore stating, “Let me just say that we all have great respect and admiration for both Elon Musk and Donald Trump. We appreciate everything they’ve done for us and their efforts to make space travel possible for humanity.