SpaceX Crew-10 Astronauts Splashdown Off Southern California After 145-Day ISS Mission

Four astronauts from NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos safely returned to Earth after a 145-day mission aboard the International Space Station, splashing down off the coast of Southern California in the Pacific Ocean. The Crew-10 mission, launched in March aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, supported numerous scientific experiments focused on human health, biology, material science, and technology demonstrations critical for future long-duration space exploration to the Moon and Mars. This splashdown marked the first NASA crew return to the Pacific in 50 years and SpaceX's third Pacific splashdown with astronauts, reflecting a shift from Florida to California waters to mitigate risks from re-entry debris. The Dragon capsule used in Crew-10 has flown multiple missions, demonstrating the reliability and growing role of commercial crew flights in maintaining continuous human presence in low Earth orbit. After recovery, the astronauts received medical checks and were flown to Houston, with NASA hosting a post-splashdown briefing to discuss the mission's achievements and next steps. The mission also underscored cooperation among international space agencies and the importance of collaboration in space exploration.