By July 26, 2026, at 7:35 AM EDT, two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut concluded a 241-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS). Their journey back to Earth involved a controlled descent, landing safely in Kazakhstan. Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikaev, and NASA’s Chris Williams departed the station using the Soyuz MS-28/74S spacecraft at 3:03 a.m. EDT, undocking from the Russian Rassvet module and moving away from the station.
Two-and-a-half hours later, the spacecraft’s braking rockets engaged, sending the crew on a trajectory towards Kazakhstan. After passing through the atmosphere, the main parachute deployed, guiding the crew module to a soft landing near Dzhezkazgan at 6:27 a.m. EDT (3:27 p.m. local time).
“I am feeling better and better with each moment,” Kud-Sverchkov remarked after landing. “I would like to thank everyone who supported this landing. Everything was smooth and perfect.”
The mission covered 3,856 orbits and 102 million miles since its launch on Nov. 27. Quickly after landing, Russian recovery crews assisted the astronauts as they adjusted to Earth’s gravity. The crew members were provided with medical evaluations and opportunity to contact their families. They were also presented with personalized Russian matryoshka dolls as welcome gifts, bringing a moment of humor with a joke about vodka within the dolls.
Post-landing, the astronauts were transported via helicopter to Karaganda, 285 miles away. Chris Williams was scheduled to fly back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, while his colleagues returned to Star City near Moscow. Williams’ mission involved two spacewalks focused on ISS maintenance, and his crew members also conducted a spacewalk for equipment upkeep.
Reflecting on his team, Williams stated, “It’s a really great crew. Sergey and Sergey are both just wonderful people, really kind and intellectually curious.”
As Kud-Sverchkov, Mikaev, and Williams departed, Crew 12 commander Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency, and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev remained on the station. They were joined by Pyotr Dubrov, Anna Kikina, and Anil Menon, who replaced the returning crew.
With dreams dating back to his childhood, Williams aspired to explore space, leading from volunteering as a firefighter and EMT to earning a Ph.D. in astrophysics and becoming an astronaut. He expressed his lifelong fascination with space and his persistent curiosity.
In onboard interviews, Williams shared his admiration for Earth’s patterns seen from space and his eagerness to gaze at the moon’s landscape, hoping for a future lunar mission opportunity.