A US-Russian crew has landed safely in Kazakhstan after completing an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev returned to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-28 on Sunday 26 July. Science Daily reported that the spacecraft touched down by parachute at 5.27am CDT, 3.27pm Kazakhstan time, southeast of Dzhezkazgan.
The spacecraft had departed the space station at 2.03am CDT. The landing ended a 241-day stay in space for the three crew members, who launched to the station on 27 November 2025.
During the mission, the crew completed 3,856 orbits of Earth and travelled more than 102 million miles, according to Science Daily. The flight was the first space mission for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud-Sverchkov.
Williams contributed to scientific studies and technology demonstrations while on the orbiting laboratory. Science Daily reported that his work included research connected to new cancer treatments and investigations into improving the production of materials in space for use in high-performance computers and electronics.
Williams also conducted two spacewalks. One prepared the station for upgrades to its electrical power system, while the other involved replacing a faulty joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
After medical checks at the landing site, the crew were due to travel by helicopter to Karaganda. Williams was expected to return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, while Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev were to fly to their training base at Star City outside Moscow.