Crew 10 Lands After 148-Day Space Station Mission

Splashdown off San Diego ends a 148-day mission for four astronauts aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endurance.

Crew 10 Lands After 148-Day Space Station Mission

Crew 10, aboard SpaceX's Endurance, landed in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California on Saturday after 148 days aboard the International Space Station. Commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov splashed down at 11:33 a.m. EDT, completing a flight that undocked from the ISS Friday and used a Draco thruster burn to slow for re-entry. High winds delayed undocking by about two days, but the crew remained in good spirits as support teams prepared for recovery at sea.

Landing in the Pacific marks a deliberate shift in NASA and SpaceX operations to keep debris away from populated areas. Recovery crews quickly secured the capsule and began medical checks before transporting the crew to shore and then to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The mission also set the stage for Crew 11 to take over operations on the station while also noting the continued rotation of international members and the ongoing partnership with Soyuz crews on orbit.

The Pacific splashdown underscores a practical shift in how NASA and its commercial partners manage risk and debris. SpaceX’s landing location aligns with a safety-first approach that prioritizes open water and unpopulated zones, reducing potential harm to people on land. The mission also reinforces the value of international cooperation in space, with a mixed crew that blends NASA, Japanese, and Russian partners. As NASA charts longer flights and more complex station operations, the ability to hand over seamlessly to new crews will be crucial for maintaining continuity and momentum.

This flight also signals how the space era is changing. Private companies like SpaceX are not just suppliers; they are essential operators for crewed missions. The cadence of rotations, plus the presence of both NASA and foreign crewmates, hints at a durable model for future exploration and research that relies on shared expertise and robust launch and recovery infrastructure.

Highlights

The next phase of human spaceflight will test endurance, cooperation, and safe returns.