Soyuz MS-28 returns to Earth with Russian cosmonauts and NASA astronaut

A Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev landed safely in the Kazakh steppe on Sunday, concluding a 241-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Soyuz MS-28 touched down at 13:28 local time (10:28 GMT) approximately 147 kilometers southeast of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan Source: Infobae.

The crew spent eight months in orbit, completing 3,856 orbits and traveling over 102 million miles Source: Euronews. This was the first spaceflight for Williams and Mikaev, and the second for Kud-Sverchkov Source: CNN. During the mission, Russian cosmonauts conducted a spacewalk to install scientific equipment, and the crew received two Progress cargo ships Source: Infobae. Williams himself performed two spacewalks to upgrade the station's electrical system and replace a joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm Source: Euronews.

After landing, the crew underwent medical checks on-site. Kud-Sverchkov remarked, "Me siento mejor y mejor con cada momento" (I feel better and better with each moment) Source: Infobae. They were then transported by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Williams will fly to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, while the cosmonauts will head to Star City near Moscow for rehabilitation Source: CNN.

The return comes amid ongoing cooperation between Russia and the United States in space, despite geopolitical tensions. The administrator of NASA, Jared Isaacman, attended the launch of the replacement crew earlier this month, marking the first visit by a NASA chief to Baikonur in eight years Source: CNN. The Expedition 75 crew, currently on the ISS, includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev Source: CNN.