Space Station

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Russian cosmonauts undocked from the International Space Station and plunged back to Earth early Wednesday, landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan to close out an unexpected yearlong stay in space, the longest single flight in U.S. space history.

Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut return to Earth after an extended tour of duty aboard the International Space Station. The landing marked the end of a 370-day-21-hour-22-minute-long mission. It was the third longest human space flight in history and the longest by a U.S. astronaut.

Outgoing space station commander Sergei Prokopyev and his two Soyuz crewmates, co-pilot Dmitri Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, packed up Tuesday for a fiery plunge back to Earth early Wednesday to close out a yearlong stay in orbit, the longest flight in U.S. space history.

Blazing like a shooting star as it streaked high above northern Florida, a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carried four space station fliers back to Earth early Monday, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean east of Jacksonville to wrap up a six-month stay in orbit.

The members of Crew 6 undocked from the International Space Station aboard SpaceX Dragon Endeavour at 7:05 a.m. EDT (1105 UTC). The capsule splashed down off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida at 12:17 a.m. EDT (0417 UTC) on Monday.

SpaceX Dragon Endurance docked with the International Space Station at 9:16 a.m. EDT (1316 UTC) this morning. The spacecraft carried an international crew of four, representing four different nations to begin a six-month mission.

A Russian Progress cargo ship blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday at 9:08 p.m. EDT (0108 UTC on Aug. 23) carrying supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.