NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Safely Returns to Earth After 237-Day Mission

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles on October 8, 2026, marking the end of NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission. The crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, spent 237 days aboard the International Space Station, traveling over 100 million miles and completing more than 3,792 orbits around Earth. During their mission, the crew conducted hundreds of hours of scientific research, including testing stem cell production, demonstrating on-demand IV fluid generation, and studying the effects of bacteria on heart damage. The crew will discuss their mission during a news conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on October 15.