President Donald Trump enshrined the U.S. goal to put humans back on the moon by 2028 and defend space from weapon threats in a sweeping executive order issued on Thursday, the first major space policy move of his administration's second term.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky landed on Russia's Soyuz MS-27 on Dec. 9, 2025, after 245 days on the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim flew home with two Roscosmos cosmonauts from the International Space Station packed tight in their Soyuz spacecraft landing in the frozen steppes of Kazakhstan on Dec. 9 to complete an eight-month stay in space.

Russian Soyuz crews are now spending eight months aboard the space station instead of six to stretch supplies and lower costs.

NASA will provide live coverage as astronaut Chris Williams and two Russians launch to the International Space Station on Thanksgiving.

Kim officially became an astronaut in 2017. Expedition 72 and Expedition 73 marked Kim’s first visit to the ISS, where he served as a flight engineer and flight surgeon for eight months while helping to conduct a number of scientific and technological research projects.

After eight months in orbit, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is about to depart the International Space Station (ISS) for the journey back to Earth. Kim will be traveling home alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim returned to Earth on Tuesday alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky

Astronaut Jonny Kim and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky touched down in Kazakhstan on Tuesday after departing the ISS.

But on 20 May 2009, former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski (USA) became the first person to complete both incredible accomplishments, as he climbed up the famous Himalayan peak and claimed the Guinness World Records title for the first astronaut to summit Everest.