NASA's Christina Koch returns to Earth after making history with 328-day spaceflight

Astronaut Christina Koch has safely returned to Earth after making history in space.

Koch on Thursday landed near Kazakhstan at the conclusion of the longest-ever single spaceflight by a woman, CNN reports. She made history in December, surpassing Peggy Whitson's 289 days. Koch ended up spending 328 days on the International Space Station, which BBC News notes comes close to the U.S. record set by Scott Kelly: 340 days.

The Associated Press reports Koch's mission gave "researchers the opportunity to observe the effects of long-duration spaceflight on a woman," which is "important since NASA plans to return to the moon under the Artemis program and prepare for the human exploration of Mars."

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Koch also made history in October by participating in the first all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir.

"I think it's important because of the historical nature of what we're doing and that in the past, women haven't always been at the table," Koch said at the time. "It's wonderful to be contributing to human spaceflight at a time when all contributions are being accepted, when everyone has a role and that can lead, in turn, to increased chance for success."