Four new astronauts arrive at International Space Station

The International Space Station has returned to full crew strength with the arrival of four new astronauts, replacing colleagues who left early due to health concerns.

The new arrivals, who are set to spend eight to nine months aboard the station, are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot, and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev.

Last month’s medical evacuation was NASA’s first in 65 years of human spaceflight. One of the four astronauts launched by SpaceX last summer developed serious health issue, leading to an early return.

The departure left only three crew members on board, prompting NASA to pause spacewalks and scale back research activities.