Four astronauts have successfully returned to Earth after completing their Crew-6 mission from the International Space Station, aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft which splashed down off the coast of Florida Monday morning.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 12:17 am EDT after 186 days in space, the space agency said.

According to NASA, the crew contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations, including assisting a student robotic challenge, studying plant genetic adaptations to space, and monitoring human health in microgravity to prepare for exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. The astronauts released Saskatchewan’s first satellite which tests a new radiation detection and protection system derived from melanin, found in many organisms, including humans.

Crew-7 has already reached and begun their mission in the space station. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov moved into the space station on August 27. The crew launched on a day earlier from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

What is International Space Station?

The International Space Station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It serves as a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live. The space station is also a unique science laboratory. Several nations worked together to build and use the space station. The space station is made of parts that were assembled in space by astronauts. It orbits Earth at an average altitude of approximately 402 kms. It travels at 28,150 kmph. This means it orbits Earth every 90 minutes.