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Following MSC-003 R-SLS2 return

Jedidiah Kerman returns to Kerbin alone — a solo reentry and the program's next flight

MSC-003's pilot undocked from LSI 1 with no crew aboard and brought R-SLS2 home. He is already scheduled to go back.

Jedidiah Kerman returned to Kerbin from LSI 1 alone. R-SLS2 — the same vehicle that first docked with the station on MSC-003 — undocked after the RESTLESS module was integrated and brought its pilot home in a solo reentry that NASA described as nominal. Huddin and Katdorf Kerman remained aboard the station.

A solo return is not standard operating procedure. The MSC crew rotation model assumes vehicles return with at least part of their original crew. Jedidiah's return was driven by a specific operational need: the adapter crew module requires a pilot with station docking experience, and Jedidiah holds the program's only clean station docking to his record. He will fly the adapter mission. MSC has not published a crew manifest for that flight.

R-SLS2 is now three for three — MSC-002, MSC-003, and the solo return. KOEING has not commented on what the program calls a perfect reentry. The thermal margin data OMQ has been requesting remains unpublished.