'Crew-12' Returns to Earth After 237 Days and 100 Million Miles
The 'Dragon Freedom' capsule splashed down off the coast of Los Angeles carrying the four-astronaut 'Crew-12' team, following a 237-day mission spanning more than 3,792 orbits.
The 'Dragon Freedom' capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 8:34 a.m. US Pacific Time off the coast of Los Angeles, returning the 'Crew-12' mission crew following the completion of their mission on the International Space Station. This comes as a development in a mission whose delayed return was previously reported by '60 Arabia'.
The crew included NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev.
The mission recorded 237 days in orbit, traveled over 100 million miles, and completed more than 3,792 orbits around the Earth.
The crew is scheduled to hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on October 15. Periodic rotation flights are an essential element in the station's operation, regularly transporting crews back and forth, carried out by SpaceX for NASA under contracts between both parties.
What do these terms mean?
Dragon capsule: A SpaceX spacecraft that transports astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station.
International Space Station: An orbiting laboratory managed by several agencies including NASA and Roscosmos.
Splashdown: The descent of the capsule using parachutes before landing in the sea, which is the method used in Dragon flights.
Crew rotation: A system under which a new crew arrives at the station before the crew that completed its mission returns.
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