Two Russians and an American returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on September 23. The Soyuz capsule carrying them landed on the Kazakh steppe about 3 1/2 hours after undocking from the ISS, Russia's Roskosmos space agency announced. Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub returned after 374 days aboard the space station, the longest continuous stay there. Also in the capsule was American Tracy Dyson, who was in the space station for six months. Eight astronauts remain on the space station, including Americans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived in June as the first crew from Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. But their trip was marred by problems, and NASA decided it was too risky to return them on Starliner. The two astronauts will ride home with SpaceX next year.
Two Russians, American Return To Earth From ISS
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub (center and right) prepeare for takeoff along with NASA's Loral O'Hara from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in September 2023.