Alpha: a return to Earth in one minute

After 199 days in space, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet left the International Space Station together with alongside @NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and @JAXA | 宇宙航空研究開発機構 astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, marking the end of his second six-month mission known as Alpha. The return to Earth took ten hours, including a two-hour fly-around of the International Space Station, but this highlight reel shows the key moments of the journey in just a minute. From the Space Station to undocking, fly-around, reentry and splashdown off the coast of Florida, USA. Thomas and crew splashed down on 9 November 2021 at 03:33 GMT (04:33 CET). From there Thomas flew to Cologne, Germany, where he is being monitored by ESA’s space medicine team as he readapts to Earth’s gravity at ESA’s astronaut centre and @DLR’s ‘Envihab’ facility. Follow Thomas: ★ Subscribe: and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications. Check out our full video catalog