SpaceX welcomes home astronauts after a 5-month journey aboard the International Space Station
SpaceX's Crew-10 Mission Marks Historic Pacific Splashdown
On August 9, 2025, the SpaceX Crew-10 Dragon capsule, named Endurance, safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, concluding a 148-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This marked the third time a SpaceX capsule with astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean and the first NASA crew splashdown in the Pacific in 50 years.
The crew, consisting of Anne McClain (NASA), Nichole Ayers (NASA), Takuya Onishi (JAXA), and Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos), returned to Earth after a mission that began on March 14, 2025, when they launched from Kennedy Space Center and docked to the ISS the following day. The undocking took place on August 8, with splashdown the next day.
The shift to Pacific splashdowns reflects SpaceX’s strategy to reduce the risk of spacecraft debris falling on populated areas by shifting capsule recoveries from the Florida coast to the West Coast. This operational change was first implemented earlier this year.
The Crew-10 mission is NASA's 10th Commercial Crew rotation with SpaceX, demonstrating an ongoing partnership to operate long-duration human spaceflights from American soil using privately developed spacecraft. The crew’s return to Pacific waters marks a strategic operational shift and a new chapter in NASA's human spaceflight recovery history.
Prior Pacific crewed splashdowns had been conducted by private missions (Fram2 and Axiom 4), but Crew-10 was the first for NASA astronauts in this region since the 1970s. The last time NASA astronauts returned to the Pacific from space was during the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission, which was a détente meet-up of Americans and Soviets in orbit.
Before leaving the space station, McClain made note of "some tumultuous times on Earth" with people struggling. Upon returning home to Houston, McClain expressed her anticipation for "doing nothing for a couple of days." The crew's wish list includes hot showers and juicy burgers.
The AP Health and Science Department received support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The article does not contain any locally popular stories as per the provided list. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were stuck at the space station for more than nine months due to Starliner malfunctions, have since retired from NASA.
Elon Musk's company, SpaceX, has been at the forefront of this operational shift, aiming to ensure the safety and efficiency of its space missions. The successful Crew-10 mission serves as a testament to this commitment, reconnecting NASA with Pacific splashdowns last seen half a century ago during the Apollo-Soyuz era.
- The Crew-10 mission, flown by SpaceX, marked a strategic shift for NASA in the recovery of its astronauts, with the splashdown taking place in the Pacific Ocean near Seattle, Washington, rather than Florida.
- The splashdown of Crew-10 in the Pacific Ocean followed an operational change implemented earlier in the year, a decision made to reduce the risk of spacecraft debris falling on populated areas.
- Previously, the Seattle area had only seen Pacific splashdowns by private missions, but with the Crew-10 mission, it marked the first time in over 50 years that NASA astronauts returned to the Pacific from space.
- In the realm of Bellevue's technology-focused educational institutions, the Crew-10 mission highlights the advancements made in space-and-astronomy, demonstrating the potential for scientific exploration and innovation.
