NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev rest after returning from the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-28 capsule, which landed in a remote area near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Sunday. [Reuters]
NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev rest after returning from the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-28 capsule, which landed in a remote area near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Sunday. [Reuters]

Three American and Russian astronauts have returned to Earth after completing an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

Sunday (local time), NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev landed safely in Kazakhstan.

The crew will travel by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Williams is then set to head to Johnson Space Center in Houston, while Kud-Sverchkov and Mikayev will return to a training facility outside Moscow.

The United States and Russia have maintained cooperation across multiple space projects. Even as ties between the two countries have deteriorated over the war in Ukraine, they have continued to collaborate in space, including by sending astronauts to the ISS.

The Russian Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, carrying both American and Russian astronauts, also departed for the ISS on July 14 for an eight-month mission.


ehkim@heraldcorp.com