Sophie Adenot and Crew-12 return to Earth after nearly eight months in space

Sophie Adenot and three crewmates returned to Earth on Thursday, 8 October, when their SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific off Los Angeles after nearly eight months in space. The landing ended the Crew-12 mission for the French astronaut, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Seven people remained aboard the International Space Station.

France 24, reporting with the Associated Press, said the capsule came down off the California coast. NASA recorded the splashdown at 11:34 a.m. EDT, or 15:34 GMT. Meir radioed shortly afterward: ‘We are so excited to be back on Planet Earth after an incredible mission on the International Space Station,’ according to the France 24/AP report.

Crew-12’s return from the International Space Station

The four astronauts left the station on 7 October and spent roughly a day aboard Dragon before landing. They had launched together on 13 February aboard Dragon Freedom, according to the European Space Agency. NASA described their station stay as 235 days; the return brought their time away from Earth to nearly eight months.

The landing confirmed Dragon’s return, but the available recovery update stopped short of confirming that the crew had exited the capsule. NASA said teams were securing Dragon and planned to hoist it onto a recovery ship before the astronauts came out. That update gave no post-landing medical assessment, so the crew’s individual condition after splashdown was not established there.

Sophie Adenot’s spacewalks and station research

Adenot became the first French woman to conduct a spacewalk during the mission. ESA said she made three trips outside the station in 14 days, spending a combined 19 hours and 42 minutes there. She was also the second European woman to conduct a spacewalk, following ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti in 2022. France 24/AP said the crew’s work outside the station included maintenance and upgrades.

ESA identified Adenot as the second French woman to travel to space, after Claudie Haigneré, whose first flight was in 1996. It said Adenot’s assignment was her first space mission. The mission included European experiments in health research, materials science, biology, fluid physics and radiation physics, alongside tests of equipment for future exploration, including in-orbit metal 3D printing. The available accounts describe those activities but do not give detailed results for the individual experiments.

NASA said the crew conducted four spacewalks during the mission. It identified this flight as the first for both Adenot and Hathaway and the second for Fedyaev. Meir had accumulated 440 days in space after the return, NASA said, placing her among its top 10 astronauts by total time in space. Those figures describe the crew’s experience and work; they do not establish the outcome of each research project.

What happens after the splashdown

The station remained occupied after Crew-12 departed. France 24/AP reported that seven astronauts from the United States, Russia and Canada were still aboard. NASA said the incoming Crew-13 residents had begun research and maintenance work, allowing station operations to continue after the handover.

ESA said Adenot was expected to travel to Cologne, Germany, after recovery. The agency planned for her to begin post-flight activities at its European Astronaut Centre and the nearby :envihab facility operated by the German Aerospace Center. Those were plans in ESA’s return schedule; the available reports did not confirm that the travel or activities had taken place.

NASA also announced a briefing for 1:15 p.m. EDT on the return and an upcoming cargo resupply launch, with NASA and SpaceX representatives due to participate. The available splashdown update did not provide the crew’s post-flight medical findings. Further recovery and briefing information would be needed to establish their condition and the next completed steps after landing.