Four astronauts have returned to Earth in a SpaceX capsule at the end of a nearly six-month space station mission, splashing down in the Atlantic off Florida.
Wet and windy weather delayed their homecoming but SpaceX and Nasa finally gave the all-clear on Friday, and the three Americans and one Italian departed the International Space Station, which has been their residence since April.
The capsule parachuted into the ocean, just off Jacksonville, about five hours after it left the space station.
It carried Nasa astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, the first black woman to complete a long-term space flight, and the European Space Agency’s Samantha Cristoforetti. SpaceX delivered their replacements last week.
Before leaving, the astronauts said they could not wait to have a cold drink with ice, eat some pizza and ice cream, take a shower, revel in nature and, of course, reunite with their families.
“Getting the first few hugs when we get back is really going to be awesome,” Mr Hines told reporters earlier in the week.
Remaining aboard the space station are three Americans, three Russians and one Japanese.
