The NASA SpaceX Crew-10 mission has successfully concluded its five-month journey aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with the crew making a safe return to Earth. The splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast on August 9, 2025, at 11:33 a.m. ET. This marked a significant milestone as it was the first Pacific Ocean return for a mission under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
The international team comprised NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. Launched on March 14, 2025, aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule "Endurance," this was the tenth operational flight of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. During their 146-day stay, the crew conducted over 200 scientific experiments, investigating areas such as the mental and physical changes astronauts experience in space, blood flow dynamics between the brain and heart, and advanced lunar navigation techniques. The return journey began on August 8, 2025, with the Dragon capsule's undocking from the ISS. This mission highlights the strong collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, and international partners, which is crucial for advancing human space exploration.
The ISS, a joint venture involving space agencies from the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada, serves as a prime example of global cooperation. The Crew-10 astronauts' contributions build upon the more than 3,000 experiments conducted on the ISS since its inception, aiming to deepen our understanding of human physiology in microgravity, test new technologies for future deep-space missions, and provide valuable data for advancements on Earth in fields like healthcare and materials science.