A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft have landed without a hitch in the Kazakhstan steppes after spending over six months in orbit on the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 63 commander Chris Cassidy, as well as two Russian cosmonauts, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, touched down some 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Zhezqazghan, a city in Karaganda Region, Kazakhstan, at 02:54 GMT (around 6am Moscow time) on Thursday.
The descent, which was broadcast by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, went smoothly, with the footage showing the Soyuz landing module touching down upright.
The three crew members appeared to be in good spirits as they were examined by medics upon their return. A homecoming ceremony for the crew was reportedly scaled down to minimize risk of potential exposure to diseases, including to Covid-19. All members of the welcoming party could be seen wearing masks as they surrounded the returning crew.
“Roscosmos cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin,@ivan_mks63 [Ivan Vagner] and @NASA astronaut [Chris Cassidy] are feeling fine!” the Russian space agency reported on Twitter.
Following a short post-flight recovery, the Russian cosmonauts will come back to Moscow. Only those family members who took a coronavirus test and are not in the “risk group” will be allowed to meet the space travellers immediately upon their return. Children under 12 and those over 65 could first see Ivanishin and Vagner eye-to-eye after they go through rehabilitation, according to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
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