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On This Day In Space: June 11, 2015: International Space Station crew returns to Earth

12 June 2023

On This Day In Space: June 11, 2015: International Space Station crew returns to Earth

Three astronauts returned to Earth today in 2015 after 199 days on the in International Space Station.

On June 11, 2015, NASA astronaut Terry Virts, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency and Russian Anton Shkaplerov returned to Earth after 199 days on the International Space Station.

The trio made up the space station’s Expedition 43 crew. They were supposed to return nearly a month earlier, but were delayed by the crash of an uncrewed Russian cargo ship.

During their time aboard the station, Virts, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti conducted hundreds of science experiments, oversaw the arrival and departure of cargo vehicles, and assisted with the relocation of the station’s supply module, called Leonardo.