Yasmin Maqabli, Commander of the 'Crew 7' Space Mission, Returns to Earth After Six Months

Yasmin Maqabli, along with three other astronauts from Denmark, Japan, and Russia, returned to Earth on Tuesday aboard a SpaceX spacecraft, concluding a six-month mission at the International Space Station. Their capsule landed before dawn in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico near Florida. According to the Associated Press, Yasmin Maqabli, a NASA pilot, commanded the return flight group, which included Andreas Mogensen from Denmark, Satoshi Furukawa from Japan, and Konstantin Borisov from Russia. The rocket carrying the 'Crew 7' astronauts had launched to the International Space Station on August 25. On Monday, after leaving the space station, Yasmin Maqabli said, 'We left you some peanut butter and tortillas,' to which NASA's Laurel O'Hara responded, 'Thank you for your generous gift.' Yasmin Maqabli, an Iranian-American astronaut and commander of 'Crew 7' at the International Space Station, wrote on X, 'Despite all the expectations and wishes I had throughout my life, I was worried that I would be disappointed after arriving here, but this experience was beyond all my expectations.' Yasmin is from Baldwin, New York, and holds a master's degree in aerospace engineering. She also graduated with honors from the U.S. Navy's flight school in Maryland and, during her speech at this year's Nowruz ceremony at the White House, stated, 'I am proud of my Iranian heritage.' In the final days of the Iranian-American astronaut's presence in space, she expressed that this experience was beyond all her expectations. Yasmin Maqabli from the space station: Hello Tehran. Empress Farah Pahlavi called Yasmin Maqabli 'a source of pride for all Iranians.' The office of the U.S. Special Representative for Iran expressed satisfaction with Yasmin Maqabli's leadership in NASA's space mission. The successful launch of 'Crew 7' began; Yasmin Maqabli stated, 'We are a united team with a common goal.'