Early Tuesday morning (March 12) marked an exhilarating moment as the four intrepid astronauts of SpaceX’s Crew-7 mission made their triumphant return to Earth, their journey broadcasted live for the world to witness.

As the first rays of dawn illuminated the horizon, Crew-7’s Dragon capsule, named Endurance, gracefully touched down at 5:50 a.m. EDT (0950 UTC) off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. Within mere minutes, a dedicated recovery crew swooped in, their every move captured by thermal cameras as they approached the capsule bobbing atop the gentle waves.

With precision and care, the recovery crew meticulously inspected the parachutes that guided Endurance back to Earth, ensuring the safety of the returning astronauts by checking for any pyrotechnic residuals or hazardous materials. Once cleared, the Dragon capsule was hoisted from the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico onto a waiting recovery ship at 6:13 a.m. EDT (1013 GMT), a hydraulic lift elevating it to safety.

At 6:36 a.m. EDT (1036 UTC), the Crew-7 astronauts emerged from the capsule, their faces illuminated by the first light of dawn. Among them, Andy Mogensen was the first to step onto the recovery vessel, signaling the end of their remarkable 199-day journey in low-Earth orbit. With their feet back on solid ground, the astronauts were whisked away to a medical facility for a thorough health check-up, ensuring their seamless transition from space to Earth.

The Crew-7 mission, comprising NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency, Satoshi Furukawa from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Konstantin Borisov, a cosmonaut with Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, commenced its return journey after bidding farewell to the International Space Station on Monday (March 11), concluding a 6.5-month stint aboard the orbiting laboratory.

This remarkable voyage began on Aug. 26, 2023, with the Crew-7 quartet launching atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, arriving at the ISS a day later. Notably, it marked the maiden spaceflight for Moghbeli and Borisov, and the second for Mogensen and Furukawa.

The Crew-7 team briefly crossed paths with their successors, the valiant astronauts of SpaceX’s Crew-8 mission, who arrived at the ISS on March 5. With this successful return, SpaceX has now completed eight operational astronaut flights to the ISS for NASA, a testament to the enduring partnership forged since September 2014.

Meanwhile, Boeing, another aerospace titan entrusted with NASA’s commercial crew contract, is poised to make its mark in space exploration. The eagerly awaited first astronaut flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule, dubbed Crew Flight Test, is scheduled for an early May launch, promising another milestone in humanity’s quest beyond the confines of Earth’s atmosphere.