Astronaut Furukawa Returns Safely to Earth on Crew Dragon after 6-Month Stay at ISS; Second Successful Spaceflight for Japanese Astronaut

By Yusuke Tomiyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

14:15 JST, March 13, 2024

WASHINGTON — U.S. commercial spacecraft Crew Dragon, whose crew includes Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, splashed down off the coast of Florida at about 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday (about 6:50 p.m. Japan time).

The spacecraft was carrying four crew members from Japan, the United States, Denmark and Russia. They returned safely to Earth after completing a stay of about six months at the International Space Station which began in August last year.

While at the ISS, Furukawa worked on various tasks such as developing technology for growing 3D organs in microgravity, water recycling technology and other scientific experiments with an eye toward future lunar exploration. This is the second spaceflight for Furukawa, who also flew into space in 2011. His total time in space is about 366 days and eight hours.

JAXA Astronaut Furukawa Discusses 2nd Stay on ISS