Coverage dated October 6, 2026 to October 9, 2026

Four Astronauts Return to Earth After Eight Months in Space

Headline from Military.com, on the newest of 3 developments

Four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station after hurrying there to replace an ailing colleague and his crew.

Military.com's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Developments in this update

3 dated developments, oldest first, newest marked. Each is named by one outlet's own headline; open its reports to see every outlet that covered it.

  1. SpaceX Crew-12 departs space station, headed home to Earth

    Headline from The Columbian ·

  2. 4 astronauts return to Earth after 8 months in space

    Headline from Anchorage Daily News ·

  3. Newest

    Four Astronauts Return to Earth After Eight Months in Space

    Headline from Military.com ·

2 reports not tied to one development ·

Reports & sources

31 articles, oldest first.

  1. FOX 35 Orlando

    NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 to undock from ISS, splashdown off coast of California (opens FOX 35 Orlando)

    Published

    FOX 35 Orlando's feed description

    Now that NASA's Crew 13 astronauts are safely aboard the International Space Station, Crew 12 is preparing to undock and begin its journey back to Earth. Crew 12 is scheduled to undock from the Space Station on Wednesday morning, with a splashdown off the coast of California expected Thursday mornin…

  2. FOX 35 Orlando

    NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 set to return to Earth after months in space (opens FOX 35 Orlando)

    Published

    FOX 35 Orlando's feed description

    The four-person Crew-12 is expected to undock from the International Space Station on Wednesday before a splashdown off California on Thursday.

  3. News Nation Now

    SpaceX Crew-12 targets return to Earth after ISS mission (opens News Nation Now)

    Published

    News Nation Now's feed description

    The Crew-12 astronauts will undock for the ISS, pending weather and other conditions.

  4. CBS News

    Space station crew returns home after eight-month mission (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    Two NASA astronauts, a European flier and a Russian cosmonaut will close out an eight-month mission with splashdown Thursday.

  5. The Columbian

    SpaceX Crew-12 departs space station, headed home to Earth (opens The Columbian)

    Published

    The Columbian's feed description

    The International Space Station got a little less crowded Wednesday as the four members of Crew-12 climbed aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom, undocked and headed back to Earth.

  6. FOX 35 Orlando

    NASA’s Crew-12 astronauts leave space station, head for Thursday splashdown (opens FOX 35 Orlando)

    Published

    FOX 35 Orlando's feed description

    NASA ’s Crew-12 astronauts are on their way back to Earth after departing the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Wednesday morning. Crew begins journey home NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonau…

  7. FOX 35 Orlando

    Crew-12 astronauts returning to Earth: What to know about the splashdown (opens FOX 35 Orlando)

    Published

    FOX 35 Orlando's feed description

    The four members of the Crew-12 mission will return to Earth on Thursday after nearly eight months in space. The crew is traveling in a SpaceX Dragon capsule named Freedom, which is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast at 11:34 a.m. ET.

  8. NPR

    4 people on NASA's Crew-12 mission return to Earth after 8 months in space (opens NPR)

    Published

    NPR's feed description

    Four people — two NASA astronauts, one from the European Space Agency and a Russian cosmonaut — spent nearly eight months at the space station, conducting spacewalks, science experiments and research.

  9. Military.com

    Four Astronauts Return to Earth After Eight Months in Space (opens Military.com)

    Published

    Military.com's feed description

    Four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station after hurrying there to replace an ailing colleague and his crew.

  10. Philadelphia Inquirer

    Four astronauts return to Earth after eight months aboard the International Space Station (opens Philadelphia Inquirer)

    Published

    Philadelphia Inquirer's feed description

    Four astronauts return to Earth after eight months aboard the International Space Station

  11. Triblive

    4 astronauts return to Earth after 8 months in space (opens Triblive)

    Published

    Triblive's feed description

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Thursday after hurrying there eight months ago to replace an ailing colleague and his crew.

  12. ABC 7 Los Angeles

    4 astronauts return to Earth off coast of LA after 8 months on International Space Station (opens ABC 7 Los Angeles)

    Published

    ABC 7 Los Angeles's feed description

    Four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Thursday after hurrying there eight months ago to replace an ailing colleague and his crew.

  13. CBS News

    Space station crew returns to Earth with perfect splashdown (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    The Crew 13 fliers completed a mission spanning more than 100 million miles with a pinpoint splashdown off the coast of Southern California.

  14. The Guardian

    Four astronauts return to Earth from ISS after medical relief mission (opens The Guardian)

    Published

    The Guardian's feed description

    Crew hurried to International Space Station eight months ago after astronaut fell ill in space Four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Thursday after hurrying there eight months ago to replace an ailing colleague and his crew.

  15. Independent Journal Review

    Four Astronauts Return After Eight Months (opens Independent Journal Review)

    Published

    Independent Journal Review's feed description

    Crew-12 astronauts Meir, Hathaway, Adenot and Fedyaev splashed down off Los Angeles at 8:34 a.m. PDT Oct. 8, 2026, after a mission NASA puts at 237 days and over 100 million miles.

  16. PBS NewsHour

    WATCH: Four astronauts return to Earth after 8 months aboard International Space Station (opens PBS NewsHour)

    Published

    PBS NewsHour's feed description

    NASA's Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France's Sophie Adenot and Russia's Andrey Fedyaev departed the orbiting lab on Wednesday, eager to reunite with their families after a lengthy separation.

  17. Fortune

    ‘We are so excited to be back’: SpaceX’s recovery ship brought back four astronauts to Earth after an eight-month mission (opens Fortune)

    Published

    Fortune's feed description

    The crew had left for space in February to replace four station occupants who were sent home early after one of them fell ill

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.

Separate coverage close to this update in time and subject.

Four Astronauts Return to Earth After Eight Months in Space | Since Then