NASA’s Crew-10 members disembark and board the SpaceX Dragon to return to Earth.

Following a five-month crew rotation at the orbiting laboratory, four men from NASA’s Crew-10 mission departed the ISS in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Saturday, headed for a splashdown off the US West Coast.

Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi joined US astronaut Nichole Ayers and mission commander Anne McClain as they boarded the gumdrop-shaped Dragon capsule for a 17.5-hour voyage down to Earth, with the goal of landing off the coast of California. The Crew-9 team, which featured NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who arrived on the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, was replaced by the crew on March 14 in a routine mission.

The advancement of scientific knowledge and technology demonstrations aboard the ISS has been greatly aided by Crew-10. They conducted hundreds of biological, material science, and human physiology studies as part of their work, which is crucial for upcoming long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Their research included studies on the effects of microgravity on plant growth and microalgae protein production, which are essential for maintaining life on extended spaceflights. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft continues to be essential to sustaining a constant human presence in low Earth orbit, and the mission highlights the dependability and expanding capabilities of commercial crew missions.

The recently arrived Crew-11 astronauts are currently aboard the station following the departure of the Crew-10, guaranteeing a smooth transfer that continues critical operations and research.