Today marks an incredible milestone in space exploration: for the first time, astronauts are returning to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) in a SpaceX capsule. After a six-month mission on board the ISS, four astronauts – two from NASA, one from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and one from the European Space Agency (ESA) – are returning home in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. This marks the first time that astronauts have completed a full-duration mission on board the ISS and returned to Earth in a spacecraft designed, built, and operated by a private company.

The Crew Dragon capsule, named “Resilience”, launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 15th. After a successful docking with the ISS, the astronauts began their six-month mission, conducting a variety of experiments and research projects in the microgravity environment of the station. Now, after more than 180 days in space, the astronauts are returning home in the same Crew Dragon capsule.

Today, history is being made as the first private spacecraft returns to Earth with its crew of space explorers. After a successful mission, the astronauts will be welcomed back to Earth with a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the

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source: Phys.org