SpaceX has delivered four astronauts back to Earth, making the first U.S. crew splashdown in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot.

A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts has departed the International Space Station and is aiming for a rare nighttime splashdown.

SpaceX will attempt the first U.S. splashdown of returning astronauts in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot in 1968.

NASA and SpaceX are promising more Coast Guard patrols and fewer pleasure boaters for this weekend's splashdown by four astronauts.

An American astronaut and two Russians have returned to Earth after six months aboard the International Space Station.

In this photo provided by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service, the Progress MS-16 cargo blasts off from the launch pad at Russia's space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. The Russian Progress MS-16 cargo ship blasted off from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan and reached a designated orbit en route to the International Space Station. (Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service photo via AP)MOSCOW – An unmanned Russian cargo ship docked at the International Space Station Wednesday with a load of supplies. The Progress MS-16 cargo ship, which blasted off Monday from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan, has delivered water, propellant and other supplies to the orbiting outpost. The space station is now operated by NASA’s Kate Rubins, Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi; and Russian Space Agency Roscosmos’ Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.

In this photo provided by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service, the Progress MS-16 cargo blasts off from the launch pad at Russia's space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. The Russian Progress MS-16 cargo ship blasted off from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan and reached a designated orbit en route to the International Space Station. (Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service photo via AP)MOSCOW – An unmanned Russian cargo ship launched successfully Monday with a load of supplies for the International Space Station. The Progress MS-16 cargo ship blasted off as scheduled at 9:45 a.m. (0445 GMT) from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan and reached a designated orbit en route to the station. The space outpost is now operated by NASA's Kate Rubins, Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi; and Russian Space Agency Roscosmos' Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.

SpaceX delivered its second crew of astronauts to the International Space Station late Monday night, just 27 hours after their launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In their first press conference from orbit, the four astronauts described Sunday night's launch and their first impressions of the space station, their new home until spring. It's the first time the space station has had seven long-term crew members all at once, which is expected to boost scientific output. There's energy up here,” said NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, who arrived on a Russian Soyuz capsule a month ago. NASA turned to SpaceX and Boeing to transport astronauts to the space station from the U.S. following the 2011 retirement of the shuttle fleet, reducing America's costly reliance on Russian rockets.

In this frame grab from NASA TV, the SpaceX Dragon is seen after docking at the International Space Station, late Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. (NASA TV via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring. The Dragon capsule pulled up and docked late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. “Oh, what a good voice to hear,” space station astronaut Kate Rubins called out when the Dragon's commander, Mike Hopkins, first made radio contact. And so it will go, with SpaceX — and eventually Boeing — transporting astronauts to and from the station for NASA.

The three Americans and one Japanese should reach the International Space Station late Monday for a five- to six-month stay, following Sunday's liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. A brief look at each:—Crew commander Mike Hopkins, 51, is an Air Force colonel and former space station resident who grew up on a hog and cattle farm in Missouri. He played football for the University of Illinois and, before becoming an astronaut in 2009, worked at the Pentagon. —Shannon Walker, 55, a Houston-born-and-raised physicist, also has lived before on the space station. She worked as a flight controller at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and then behind the scenes in the space station program, before becoming an astronaut in 2004.

It is due to reach the space station late Monday and remain there until spring. Even the two astronauts on the first SpaceX crew flight stayed behind at Johnson Space Center in Houston. “I didn’t start breathing until about a minute after it took off,” Pence said during a stop at SpaceX Launch Control to congratulate the workers. The first-stage booster is expected to be recycled by SpaceX for the next crew launch. NASA turned to private companies to haul cargo and crew to the space station, after the shuttle fleet retired in 2011.

For NASA, it marks the long-awaited start of regular crew rotations at the International Space Station, with private companies providing the lifts. It will be a speedy trip to the space station, a six-orbit express lasting under nine hours. “Every time there’s a Dragon launch, there will be two Dragons in space,” said Reed, director of crew mission management. NASA turned to private companies for space station deliveries — cargo, then crew — following the shuttle fleet's retirement in 2011. They will join two Russians and one American who arrived at the space station last month from Kazakhstan.

In this June 18, 2020 photo provided by NASA, astronaut Kate Rubins, center, and support personnel review the Universal Waste Management System, a low-gravity space toilet, in Houston. The new device is scheduled to be delivered to the International Space Station on Oct. 1, 2020. Barely 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and just 28 inches (71 centimeters) tall, the new toilet is roughly half as big as the two Russian-built ones at the space station. To better accommodate women, NASA tilted the seat on the new toilet and made it taller. The last time NASA ordered up a new toilet was in the early 1990s to accommodate two-week space shuttle missions.

ROANOKE, Va. - One of the men convicted of killing a man outside a Roanoke convenience store will spend 15 years in prison for the crime, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney. On Monday, a judge sentenced Shannon Walker for the second-degree murder of Michael D. Jackson in June 2018. Walker received 12 years for fatally shooting Jackson during a fight at the LT store near Washington Park. The judge gave him another three years on weapon charges, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney.

ROANOKE, Va. - One of the men convicted of killing a man outside a Roanoke convenience store will spend 15 years in prison for the crime, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney. On Monday, a judge sentenced Shannon Walker for the second-degree murder of Michael D. Jackson in June 2018. Walker received 12 years for fatally shooting Jackson during a fight at the LT store near Washington Park. The judge gave him another three years on weapon charges, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney.

ROANOKE, Va. - A man has been convicted in a Roanoke murder that happened a little over a year ago. On Tuesday night, a jury in Roanoke convicted Shannon Walker of second-degree murder in the death of Michael D. Jackson in June 2018. Walker was originally charged with first-degree murder, but was sentenced to second-degree murder because the jury did not believe the act was premeditated. This sentence is a lighter sentence than if Walker was convicted of first-degree murder. The defense says it was pushing for voluntary manslaughter, which is one step down from second-degree murder and would have carried an even lighter sentence.

It's been a tough year for her and her extended family, as two of her nephews, Travis Turnage and Michael D. Jackson, were shot and killed in separate incidents in northwest Roanoke last year. Dominic Townes is accused of killing Turnage and Jacob Sallah. In the other case, security camera video shows Jackson's murder outside a convenience store. It shows the moment when Jackson punches Shannon Walker, the man now accused of killing him. Jackson's sister, Francine, started sobbing in the courtroom when the security camera video was shown.

ROANOKE, Va. - The trial for a Roanoke murder suspect caught on camera may come down to who fired first. The prosecution says surveillance video shows Shannon Walker, 30, killed 42-year-old Michael D. Jackson last summer; however, two men fired shots at Jackson. The other man charged in connection with this shooting, Derrell Jones, has already pleaded guilty to shooting, but not killing Jackson. The debate in this trial is over which shot killed Jackson and how many shots did Walker fire. Jackson's family and some of his friends were in the courtroom and had an emotional reaction while watching the surveillance video.

Here's a look at some of the stories we'll be following today as they make headlines across the country and Southwest Virginia. The trial begins today for one of the men, charged with murder in Roanoke. The trial begins today for the man, accused of shooting two people in northwest Roanoke. Work will then begin to remove the old bridge, with work expected to be finished by December. Early educators in Giles County will be recognized today for their professional development and dedication.