SpaceX’s Crew 5 mission has returned to Earth, bringing a five-month mission to a close. The international space crew landed off of the coast of Tampa, Florida, via a parachute-assisted splashdown on Saturday, having spent 157 days in orbit.
The team of global astronauts was made up of NASA’s Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. They lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 5 in a Falcon 9 rocket.
Following their landing, a SpaceX team used recovery vessels to retrieve the spacecraft. The team of astronauts will now fly to the NASA headquarters in Houston, Texas.
Over the course of the mission, astronauts conducted a series of scientific experiments, including testing new techniques to grow plants without using soil and observing how liquids move in a container in lunar gravity, as well as releasing Uganda and Zimbabwe’s first satellites.
“This international crew has been conducting critical science experiments and technology demonstrations on the International Space Station that will help prepare us for future deep space missions and pave the way for our return to the Moon,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “Each advancement these explorers make is not an achievement for one, but a giant leap for all of humanity.”
In other tech news, Elon Musk is reportedly planning to build his own town called Snailbrook.
