Almaty ( Kazakhstan): NASAu2019s Christina Koch returned to Earth safely on Thursday after shattering the spaceflight record for female astronauts with a stay of almost 11 months aboard the International Space Station.
Koch touched down at 0912 GMT on the Kazakh steppe after 328 days in space, along with Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian space agency.
u201c I am so overwhelmed and happy right now,u201d said Koch, who blasted off on March 14 last year. Koch, a 41- yearold Michigan- born engineer, on December 28 last year beat the previous record for a single spaceflight by a woman of 289 days, set by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson in 2016- 17. Agencies US astronaut returns to Earth after 328 days Koch reacts after the landing of her space capsule. PIC/ PTI Christina Koch touched down at 0912 GMT on the Kazakh steppe after 328 days in space
