The touchdown on a snow-covered steppe also marked the return to earth of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russia’s Alexander Skvortsov.
Koch’s 328-day space mission broke the record for the longest continuous stay in space by a woman, previously held by NASA’s Peggy Whitson.
Launched into orbit last March, Koch’s mission was extended in April from its original span of six months to nearly a year after she was already aboard the station. (Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Toby Chopra and John Stonestreet)
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