NASA, SpaceX Target Oct. 7 for Crew-12 Undocking From Space Station

NASA and SpaceX are aiming for no earlier than 1:05 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 7, to undock the agency's Crew-12 mission from the International Space Station. The target follows a review of weather and splashdown conditions off the coast of California and sets up a return for four crew members after an extended stay in orbit.

The schedule was established after mission managers assessed recovery conditions on the West Coast. An Oct. 7 undocking would place the crew on track to splash down off the coast of California at about 11:25 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, though the exact time could shift slightly depending on the return location selected.

Aboard the Crew-12 Dragon are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. On Sunday, Oct. 4, the departing crew members formally transferred their mission responsibilities to their new crewmates. Meir handed over command of the space station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov during a change-of-command and farewell ceremony beginning at 10:20 a.m. EDT, which streamed online.

Mission managers will continue monitoring conditions in the recovery area. NASA stated that undocking of the SpaceX Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will select a specific splashdown time and location closer to undocking, with the next weather review taking place about 48 hours prior to departure.

The return caps a standard but high-stakes human spaceflight operation and marks the close of a long-duration crew rotation on the station. NASA said it will provide more information about its coverage of the return in the coming days.

With the next weather review scheduled roughly 48 hours before undocking, mission managers will confirm or adjust the Oct. 7 target and finalize the splashdown time and location as conditions off California are reassessed.