In this photo released by Roscosmos space corporation, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko holds a Russian traditional Matryoshka wooden doll depicting him shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-25 space capsule carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (Ivan Timoshenko, Roscosmos space corporation via AP)

2 record-breaking Russians and an American who lived on space station for 6 months return to Earth

MOSCOW (AP) — A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American from the International Space Station landed Monday in Kazakhstan, ending a record-breaking stay for the Russian pair.

The capsule landed on the Kazakh steppe about 3 1/2 hours after undocking from the space station in an apparently trouble-free descent. In the last stage of the landing, it descended under a red-and-white parachute at about 7.2 meters per second (16 mph), with small rockets fired in the final seconds to cushion the touchdown.

The astronauts were to be extracted from the capsule and placed in nearby chairs to help them adjust to gravity, then given medical examinations in a nearby tent.

Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub returned after 374 days aboard the space station; on Friday they broke the record for 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 in the space station, including Americans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have remained long past their scheduled return to Earth.

In this photo released by Roscosmos space corporation, NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson is gifted with flowers and a Russian traditional Matryoshka wooden doll depicting her shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-25 space capsule carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (Ivan Timoshenko, Roscosmos space corporation via AP)

They arrived in June as the first crew of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. But their trip was marred by thruster troubles and helium leaks, and the U.S. space agency NASA decided it was too risky to return them on Starliner.

The two astronauts are to ride home with SpaceX next year.

In this photo released by Roscosmos space corporation, NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-25 space capsule carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (Ivan Timoshenko, Roscosmos space corporation via AP)
In this photo released by Roscosmos space corporation, a tractor is seen in the foreground at the site of landing of Russian Soyuz MS-25 space capsule carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (Ivan Timoshenko, Roscosmos space corporation via AP)
In this photo released by Roscosmos space corporation, rescue team members help Roscosmos cosmonaut Nikolai Chub to get from the capsule shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-25 space capsule carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (Ivan Timoshenko, Roscosmos space corporation via AP)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles