Soyuz MS-25 returns to Earth with NASA astronaut and cosmonaut

After a remarkable journey, two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut have returned safely to Earth following an extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Soyuz MS-25 landed in Kazakhstan, concluding a historic mission for cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, and NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson.

Kononenko passes milestone in space travel

Oleg Kononenko has made history by becoming the first person to spend more than 1,000 days in space, with a total of 1,111 days across five missions. His last mission with Chub lasted 374 days, marking the longest stay on the ISS to date. Kononenko’s feat broke the previous record held by cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, who spent 878 days in space across multiple missions.

Chub and Dyson complete elaborate missions

For Nikolai Chub, this was his first space mission, and it lasted a record-breaking 374 days. Tracy Caldwell Dyson completed 184 days in space, adding to her previous two spaceflights and making her total time in orbit nearly equal to Chub’s single mission duration.

The return of the Soyuz MS-25 crew marked the end of Expedition 71, as they undocked from the ISS early in the morning. The spacecraft successfully landed southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, after traveling more than 78 million miles and completing nearly 3,000 orbits around the Earth during its mission.

Kononenko’s Legacy and Future Missions

The 60-year-old cosmonaut leaves behind an impressive legacy, having served on 11 ISS expeditions and completed seven spacewalks. Both Kononenko and Chub will return to Star City in Russia, while Dyson will return to Houston, Texas.

Meanwhile, Expedition 72 has officially begun, with a new crew set to arrive aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft in the coming days. They will continue the ongoing research and exploration aboard the ISS.