Crew-12 Astronauts Set to Leave ISS After Nearly Eight Months in Orbit
Four Crew-12 astronauts are preparing to leave the International Space Station on October 7 after nearly eight months in orbit, ending a mission filled with scientific research and station operations.
Four astronauts are preparing to leave the International Space Station after nearly eight months in orbit. NASA and SpaceX are targeting October 7 for the Crew-12 Dragon spacecraft to undock from the station.
The returning crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. They arrived at the ISS on February 14 and have spent their mission conducting scientific experiments and station operations.
The Dragon is expected to spend just over a day travelling back to Earth before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off California on October 8, if conditions remain favourable.
The departure follows a crew transition aboard the ISS. Crew-13 arrived on October 1, joining Expedition 75, while command was formally handed over from Meir to Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov on October 4.
The return schedule remains dependent on weather, sea conditions and the readiness of the spacecraft and recovery teams.
After months of living roughly 400 kilometres above Earth, Crew-12 is finally preparing to trade orbital views for something astronauts rarely complain about: actual gravity.
