Source The Times of central Asia
A three-person crew consisting of American astronaut Jonny Kim and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky touched down safely in the remote steppes of Kazakhstan early Tuesday morning, concluding their eight-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The crew returned aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, which undocked from the station late Monday night and touched down southeast of the city of Dzhezkazgan after descending under parachute and engaging braking thrusters. The landing — at 12:03 a.m. EST (10:03 a.m. local time) — was described by Roscosmos as smooth and nominal.
Over the course of their 245-day mission, the trio orbited Earth approximately 3,920 times and covered nearly 104 million miles, conducting scientific research and maintenance tasks aboard the station. For Kim and Zubritsky, this marked their first spaceflight; for Ryzhikov, it was his third mission, bringing his total time in space to 603 days.
In a statement, Kazakh authorities welcomed the successful landing, reaffirming the country’s ongoing role as a reliable partner in international spaceflight operations.
Their safe return paves the way for the next crew rotation aboard the ISS, ensuring the continued presence of humans in the orbiting laboratory — a symbol of international cooperation in space exploration.
