SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts back on Earth

By Nuri Aydin

ANKARA (AA) – After living and working in space for six months, NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts returned to Earth on Friday.

“After 177 days in space, Dragon and Crew-3 astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer returned to Earth and splashed down off the coast of Florida at 12:43 a.m. ET (0443GMT) on Friday, May 6,” according to the SpaceX website.

Four astronauts, who were sent into space on Nov. 11 last year, returned with the Dragon capsule called Endurance.

While the Crew-3 team conducted hundreds of experiments and spacewalks on the International Space Station, they also worked on the development of solar panels.

The team's return trip, which also tested an electron microscope, was scheduled for Wednesday but was delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar