On April 21, 2025, veteran NASA astronaut Don Pettit safely returned to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-26. The landing in Kazakhstan marked the end of a 220-day ISS mission. Pettit turned 70 the same day, becoming the oldest serving U.S. astronaut to return from space. He now has 590 total space days across four missions.

BulletsIn

• Don Pettit returns from ISS on April 21, 2025
• Lands in Kazakhstan on his 70th birthday
• Completes 220-day space mission with Russian crewmates
• Logged 590 total days in space across 4 missions
• Soyuz MS-26 made parachute landing
• Oldest active U.S. astronaut to serve in space
• Not oldest ever—John Glenn holds record at 77
• Completed 3,520 Earth orbits this mission
• Known for microgravity science demos, public outreach
• Now recovering before returning to NASA HQ, Texas