Four astronauts have returned to Earth from the International Space Station, in what was Nasa’s first night-time landing in 53 years as reported by BBC. The crew – three Nasa astronauts and one from Japan’s space agency Jaxa – spent almost six months in space. They flew back in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience and splash-landed off Panama City, Florida at 02:56 EDT (07:56 BST).
They were supposed to leave the ISS earlier, but their departure was delayed due to bad weather in Florida. “Teams on the Go Navigator recovery ship, including two fast boats, now are in the process of securing Crew Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for the recovery effort,” Nasa said in a statement. “As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Crew Dragon onto the main deck of Go Navigator with the astronauts outside.” The crew will then be given medical checks before flying from Pensacola, Florida to Houston, Texas, it added. The last Nasa crew to land back on Earth at night-time was Apollo-8 – the first manned mission to the moon, which returned on 27 December 1968.
