The four astronauts of SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission returned to Earth on October 8, 2026, after spending 237 days in space. Their Crew Dragon capsule, named "Freedom," undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on October 7, marking the start of a roughly 27-hour journey back home. Freedom splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles at 11:34 a.m. EDT (1534 GMT). Shortly thereafter, the astronauts were safely retrieved from the capsule by a recovery ship.
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Following their extraction, the astronauts will undergo standard medical examinations before beginning a 45-day postflight conditioning process to help their bodies readjust to Earth's gravity.
Bill Spetch, deputy manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program, stated in a post-splashdown press conference that the crew was in good spirits, noting, "They were all smiles exiting the capsule." The Crew-12 team includes Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway from NASA, Sophie Adenot from the European Space Agency, and Andrey Fedyaev from Russia's Roscosmos. Of the group, Meir and Fedyaev had previous spaceflights, while Crew-12 was the debut mission for Hathaway and Adenot.
The astronauts launched to the ISS on February 13. Their arrival increased the station's crew to seven, following a period where it was operating with just three members after the early return of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission due to a medical issue involving astronaut Mike Fincke, who is now retired.
Crew-12 was succeeded by Crew-13, which arrived at the ISS on October 1, achieving the fastest-ever trip for an American spacecraft to the station. Crew-13’s launch had been delayed due to a propulsion system issue. During their time in space, the Crew-12 astronauts engaged in extensive maintenance and scientific experiments, including multiple spacewalks. Meir conducted four spacewalks, reaching a total of seven, while Adenot made history as the first French woman to perform a spacewalk, completing three during the mission.
Adenot also set a record for the longest continuous duration in space by an ESA astronaut at 237 days, surpassing Luca Parmitano's previous record of 201 days.
Reflecting on their homecoming, Meir expressed excitement about seeing her daughter and experiencing nature after months in space. SpaceX and NASA scheduled a press conference for the afternoon of the splashdown to discuss the mission further, as well as the upcoming launch of SpaceX's CRS-35 cargo mission to the ISS.