After six months in space, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet is back on Earth

Published on : 11/09/2021 – 04:38

The SpaceX capsule carrying Frenchman Thomas Pesquet and three other astronauts landed on the night of Monday, November 8 to Tuesday, November 9 off the coast of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, after a six-month stay in the International Space Station , according to a NASA video broadcast.

Braked by the Earth’s atmosphere and then by four huge parachutes, the Dragon capsule withstood the vertiginous descent thanks to its heat shield. It must be retrieved quickly by a ship stationed at sea nearby, and soon after the spaceship’s hatch will be opened for the astronauts to exit. They will then be brought back to dry land by helicopter.

With AFP