Technology and Science26 July, 20262 min read
NASA Astronaut Chris Williams, Roscosmos Cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev Land in Kazakhstan
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
NASA astronaut Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev return after 241 days aboard ISS. Soyuz MS-28 landed in the Kazakh steppes.
Soyuz MS-28 lands
A U.S.-Russian crew returned to Earth after a 241-day stay aboard the International Space Station, landing their Soyuz MS-28 capsule in Kazakhstan on Sunday.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev undocked from the station’s Russian Rassvet module at 3:03 a.m. EDT, then fired the Soyuz braking rockets for four minutes and 42 seconds.
The Soyuz crew module’s main parachute unfurled and inflated for a 10-minute descent before a rocket-assisted touchdown at 6:27 a.m. EDT (3:27 p.m. local time) near the town of Dzhezkazgan.
CBS News said the mission covered 3,856 orbits and 102 million miles since launch last Nov. 27, while WBFF described the landing as occurring in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan.
After landing, Russian recovery crews raced to the crew module for initial medical checks, and Williams was later to fly back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston while Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev headed to Star City near Moscow.
Crew quotes and handover
From their recliners after touchdown, Kud-Sverchkov told CBS News, "I am feeling better and better with each moment," adding, "Everything was smooth and perfect." CBS News also reported that the crew members were given personalized Russian matryoshka dolls as welcome home gifts, with one person saying, "There is vodka inside," and another joking, "Well, actually, this is why I flew to space in the first place." The handover on the station had already been completed, with CBS News saying Meir took over command of the station from Kud-Sverchkov during a brief ceremony Saturday.
Euronews said the crew must undergo medical examinations before being transported by plane to Karaganda, in central Kazakhstan, where they would reunite with the recovery teams. Euronews further reported that a NASA airplane would fly Chris Williams to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, while Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev were to report to the Star City training center near Moscow.
Science work and next mission
During the ISS mission, Williams participated in two spacewalks, one to replace a joint in the lab's robot arm and another to prepare for installing new roll-out solar blankets, while Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev also staged a maintenance spacewalk outside the Russian segment. Euronews said Williams’s work focused on researching new cancer treatments and improving in-orbit fabrication of materials intended for computers and high-performance electronics, and it also said Roscosmos reported an ISS 74 spacewalk to install equipment related to the Sun-Terahertz experiment. Euronews added that the crew received two Russian Progress MS cargo spacecraft loaded with supplies essential to life on the ISS, including water, fuel and atmospheric gases.
Looking ahead, Euronews said Expedition 75 begins on Sunday and is expected to continue through spring 2027, with a relief team including NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Piotr Doubrov and Anna Kikina arriving aboard the ISS earlier this month on the Soyuz MS-29. Euronews also said NASA described the new mission as studying "in-orbit manufacturing techniques," augmented reality and artificial intelligence methods for monitoring astronauts' health, as well as the "bio-printing of human tissues."