Mission Reports

Soyuz lands safely in Kazakhstan

Three space station crew members — two short timers completing a 10-day flight and a veteran cosmonaut who has logged a world record 879 days aloft over five missions — undocked from the International Space Station and returned to Earth Friday, landing safely on the steppe of Kazakhstan to close out a problem-free flight.

Mission Reports

One-on-one with NASA’s chief space station builder

Mike Suffredini is leaving NASA after 10 years at the helm of the International Space Station program overseeing assembly of the largest spacecraft ever built. He chatted with Spaceflight Now in his final weeks as space station program manager, sharing his memories and vision for the commercialization of low Earth orbit.

Mission Reports

Kelly assumes command of space station

In a brief ceremony Saturday, veteran cosmonaut Gennadi Padalka, the most experienced spaceman on or off the planet, turned over command of the International Space Station to NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who along with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko is midway through a nearly yearlong stay in orbit.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Soyuz crew back on Earth

Wrapping up a busy week on the International Space Station, a crew of three boarded their Soyuz landing craft and headed for Earth on Friday. Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, the most experienced space crewman in history, was at the controls, along with Danish and Kazakh crew members, and landed in Kazakhstan at 8:51 p.m. EDT Friday (0051 GMT Saturday).