Russian Soyuz brings crew of 3 back from International Space Station

KOROLYOV: A Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft carrying Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner and NASA astronaut Donald Pettit returned to Earth early Sunday (April 20), after they concluded a 7-month research mission aboard the International Space Station.

Smiles, thumbs ups and a safe return for ‘stranded’ NASA astronauts

Soyuz MS-26 space capsule landed in a remote area near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. A video released by NASA shows the craft landing in Kazakhstan, after its descent was slowed by a parachute, and ground crews carrying the crew from the spacecraft.

“Its deorbiting and descent to Earth were normal,” Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. The crew worked in space from September 11, 2024.