Multinational team safely returns to Earth from the International Space Station

Mike Heuer
·2 min read
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NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara (C) is shown after the landing of a Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft Saturday in Kazakhstan. She and fellow Expedition 70 members Oleg Novitskiy of Russia and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan following a stay on the International Space Station. Photo provided by Roscosmos/EPA-EFE
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April 6 (UPI) -- NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Belarus's Marina Vasilevskay and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky successfully returned to Earth Saturday after spending time on the International Space Station.

The trio landed near Karaganda, Kazakhstan, at 3:17 a.m. EDT after spending 3.5 hours aboard a Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft, the Russian news agency TASS reported.

They departed the International Space Station at 11:54 p.m. EDT Friday.

O'Hara and Vasilevskaya completed their first missions aboard the International Space Station, while Novitsky completed his third. Vasilevskaya is Belarus' first citizen to enter space.

O'Hara arrived on the space station on Sept. 15 to undertake a six-month research mission during her first spaceflight. She spent 204 days in space while orbiting the Earth 3,264 times and covering a distance of more than 86.5 million miles, according to NASA.

Expedition 70 flight engineers Loral O'Hara (C) and Jasmin Moghbeli are tethered to the International Space Station's port truss structure during a spacewalk on November 1, 2023. File photo courtesy of NASA/UPI
Expedition 70 flight engineers Loral O'Hara (C) and Jasmin Moghbeli are tethered to the International Space Station's port truss structure during a spacewalk on November 1, 2023. File photo courtesy of NASA/UPI

O'Hara's mission was in support of NASA's Artemis campaign to explore the Moon to make scientific discoveries, advance technology and learn how to live and work on another celestial body.

While she was on the ISS, O'Hara studied heart health, space manufacturing techniques and cancer treatments.

A Soyuz rocket is launched with Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on September 15, 2023, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. File photo courtesy of Bill Ingalls/NASA/UPI
A Soyuz rocket is launched with Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on September 15, 2023, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. File photo courtesy of Bill Ingalls/NASA/UPI

NASA officials said O'Hara's mission will help the space agency prepare for further exploration of the Moon and eventual crewed missions to Mars.

Vasilevskaya and Novitsky arrived at the space station on March 23 for two-week missions. Novitsky has made four spaceflights and spent a combined total of 545 days in space across the four missions.

Vasilevskaya is a flight attendant for Belavia Airlines and has a total of 14 days in space.

The ISS remains fully manned with NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Tracy Dyson and Jeannette Epps.

Cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin and Oleg Kononenkoalso are also aboard the Earth-orbiting ISS until fall.