NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev will return to Earth this weekend via the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.
The landing marks the conclusion of a long-duration mission that underscores the continued operational cooperation between the U.S. and Russia in low Earth orbit. This return ensures the rotation of personnel necessary to maintain the station's complex scientific systems.
The crew is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on July 26, 2026 [1]. Their descent will culminate in a landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan at 6:26 a.m. EDT, which corresponds to 10:26 UTC [1]. Following the touchdown, the crew members will be transported by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan [1].
During their stay, the trio completed 3,856 orbits of the Earth [1]. The total duration of the mission in orbit was 241 days [1]. Other reports listed the mission length as approximately 240 days [2, 3], but NASA data specifies the longer duration.
The Soyuz MS-28 mission represents a standard but critical component of the ISS logistics cycle. The crew spent roughly eight months conducting research and maintaining the orbital facility [2]. The transition from the microgravity environment of the station to the surface of the Kazakh steppe requires a precise reentry corridor to ensure crew safety.
Once on the ground, the astronauts and cosmonauts will undergo immediate medical evaluations. These checks are standard for all returning crew members to monitor the effects of long-term weightlessness on bone density, and muscle mass. The flight from the landing site to Karaganda allows medical teams to begin the rehabilitation process in a controlled environment [1].
“The crew is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on July 26, 2026.”
The successful return of the MS-28 crew demonstrates the ongoing reliability of the Soyuz transport system, which remains a primary vehicle for ISS crew rotations. By completing over 3,800 orbits, the crew provided essential data on long-term human habitation in space, which is critical for future deep-space missions to the moon and Mars.
