美国宇航员克里斯·威廉姆斯与俄罗斯宇航员谢尔盖·库德-斯韦尔奇科夫、谢尔盖·米卡耶夫乘坐联盟号MS-28飞船在哈萨克斯坦草原安全着陆，成功完成了为期8个月的国际空间站任务 [1]。三人返回地点位于哈萨克斯坦Dzhezkazgan东南部 [1]。其中威廉姆斯和米卡耶夫首次执行太空任务 [1]。
尽管美俄两国因乌克兰局势面临紧张关系，但双方继续在航天领域保持合作 [1]。此次任务延续了冷战后美俄作为国际空间站合作伙伴的传统 [1]。与此同时，新一批宇航员已接棒，包括美国的阿尼尔·梅农和俄罗斯的彼得·杜布罗夫、安娜·基基纳，他们于2024年7月14日从拜科努尔航天发射场发射升空 [1]。值得注意的是，NASA局长贾里德·艾萨克曼出席了发射仪式，这是8年来首位访问拜科努尔的NASA局长 [1]。
A joint US-Russian crew has completed its mission aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth. NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev landed safely in the Kazakh steppe southeast of Dzhezkazgan aboard Soyuz MS-28 after spending 241 days in orbit.[1] For both Williams and Mikaev, this marked their first spaceflight.[1]
The landing concluded a period of continued cooperation between the United States and Russia in space exploration, despite geopolitical tensions stemming from the Ukraine situation.[1] The crew's return was followed by the arrival of three new crew members—American astronaut Anil Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina—who launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 14, 2024.[1] NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch ceremony, marking the first visit to Baikonur by a NASA administrator in eight years.[1]