Soyuz safely returns three astronauts from ISS
A Russian Soyuz capsule today safely landed in Kazakhstan, completing an eight-month mission to ISS by two Russians and one American.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev wrapped up a 241‑day mission, orbiting Earth 3,856 times and traveling more than 102 million miles. Soyuz MS‑28 launched and docked with the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2025. This flight marked the first mission for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud‑Sverchkov.
After routine post‑landing medical checks, recovery teams will fly the crew by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Williams then will board a NASA aircraft bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Because of financial problems resulting from its invasion of the Ukraine, Russia has increased the length of its missions to ISS from six months to eight, so that it only has to do three manned launches every two years, instead of four. Though Russia did this to save money, it has the benefit of making eight month missions routine, allowing for better research on the long term effects of weightlessness.
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