Four astronauts of SpaceX Crew-8 return to Earth after months of delays

The four members of NASA's SpaceX Crew 8 returned to Earth Friday morning, following an eight-month stay at the International Space Station that was extended by technical problems with Boeing's Starliner space capsule and the effects of Hurricane Milton.

The crew—NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin of Russia's Roscosmos space agency—splashed down just before 3:30 a.m. off the coast of Florida.

Since launching on March 3 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew had spent 235 days in space, a new duration record for SpaceX missions.

Upon recovery, the three NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonaut were transported to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola in Florida for evaluation.

The move was made "out of an abundance of caution," according to NASA, which said on Friday that one member of the crew had experienced a medical issue.

The space agency did not identify the crew member to protect their medical privacy nor did it provide further details on the medical issue. The four crew members were treated at Ascension, with the other three being released to return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The one crew member remains in stable condition at Ascension as a precautionary measure, NASA said.

All four crew members were seen during recovery, appearing in good spirits as they exited the Dragon spacecraft.

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Return delayed for multiple reasons

The crew was initially scheduled to return two months prior, but their mission was initially extended after problems arose with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

During the Starliner's first crewed test flight, which was scheduled to bring astronauts Sunita "Suni Williams" and Barry "Butch" Wilmore to the ISS for eight days, the Boeing spacecraft experienced thruster problems and a helium leak. NASA ultimately decided to return the Starliner to Earth without its crew, leaving astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore aboard the space station until 2025, and also delaying the launch of the SpaceX Crew 9 mission that would have returned Dominck, Barratt, Epps and Grebenkin at the end of August.

Hurricane Milton and subsequent inclement further delayed the return of the four astronauts, as NASA awaited favorable weather conditions in which their spacecraft would splash down.

Brooke Edwards of Florida Today contributed to this report.

Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SpaceX astronauts return to Earth after months of delays