Expedition 65 Highlights: Here Are The Major Events That Happened In The ISS Yet [PHOTOS]

Expedition 65 mission is NASA's 65th and busiest crewed expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) yet.

The mission started with seven crew members on board on April 17, Space.com said. Three astronauts from the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft plus four astronauts from SpaceX's Crew-1 mission. A second SpaceX Crew Dragon ship landed on April 24, with four more Crew-2 members, bringing the ISS population to 11 people - about double the average crew size.

Eleven Members in ISS

The whole Expedition 65 crew of 11 gathered for a picture on board the International Space Station, as shared by NASA. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei plus cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov arrived on the Soyuz MS-18.

The SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts (not in order) are: ESA's Thomas Pesquet, JAXA's Akihiko Hoshide, NASA's Megan McArthur, and NASA's Shane Kimbrough. JAXA's Soichi Noguchi, NASA's Michael Hopkins, and NASA's Shannon Walker and Victor Glover are also seen in the photo.

From Eleven to Seven Members Left

Only seven crew members remained on board the International Space Station after the SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts returned to Earth. The Expedition 65 crew - one ESA astronaut, a JAXA astronaut, two cosmonauts, and three NASA astronauts - poses for a portrait, which NASA shared on its website. In the photo are Akihiko Hoshide, Mark Vande Hei, Megan McArthur, Oleg Novitskiy, Pyotr Dubrov, Shane Kimbrough, and Thomas Pesquet.

Crew-2 Arriving at ISS

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour arrived on the International Space Station against a breathtaking vista of Earth on April 24. Akihiko Hoshide, Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough, and Thomas Pesquet were transported to the International Space Station to join Expedition 65.

Trash Talks

After a year docked with the International Space Station's Zvezda service module, the Russian Progress 75 (75P) cargo resupply ship, loaded with garbage, has departed from the orbiting lab's Zvezda service module. Progress 75 arrived in the station on April 25, 2020, and left on April 27, 2021, safely burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

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Nauka Happened

Russia launched its new Multipurpose Laboratory Module, commonly known as Nauka, to the International Space Station during Expedition 65. On July 29, 2021, Nauka docked with the ISS, after which it briefly misfired its engines, sending the station spinning in orbit. According to NASA, ISS flight controllers could correct the problem, and the astronauts were not in danger.

The Russian portion of the orbiting lab will use Nauka as a scientific module. A view of Russia's Nauka module docked with the International Space Station on July 29.

A Journey Back Home

Just hours before successfully returning the SpaceX Crew-1 passengers to Earth in the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience, which flew on the Crew-1 mission, is shown outside the Harmony module on May 1.

Astronauts Come Home

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience returned to Earth on May 2. An astronaut aboard the International Space Station obtained this image of the spacecraft reentering the atmosphere. Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi were safely returned to Earth by the vessel.