NASA to Stream SpaceX Crew-12 Return, Splashdown Live

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 8:05 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 7, for the undocking of the agency's SpaceX Crew-12 mission from the International Space Station, pending weather conditions. An Oct. 7 undock puts NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev on schedule to splash down off the coast of California at approximately 11:34 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Mission managers continue monitoring conditions in the recovery area, since undocking of the SpaceX Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather conditions in the Pacific off the coast of California, and other factors. NASA's live return coverage will stream through a variety of platforms.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, coverage begins at 6 a.m. with hatch closure coverage, followed by hatch closing at 6:20 a.m., undocking coverage at 7:45 a.m., and undocking at 8:05 a.m. After undocking coverage concludes, NASA will provide audio-only communications between Crew-12, the space station, and flight controllers during Dragon's transit away from the orbital complex.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, return coverage begins at 10:20 a.m., with the deorbit burn at 10:46 a.m. and splashdown at 11:34 a.m. At 1:15 p.m., NASA will hold an International Space Station briefing covering the Crew-12 return and the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services-35 launch, featuring Bill Spetch, deputy manager of Commercial in NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program; Dr. Liz Warren, deputy chief scientist of the Low Earth Orbit Program; Lee Echerd, senior mission manager for Customer Operations and Integration at SpaceX; and Andreas Mogensen, leader of the Human Exploration Group at ESA. Media wishing to participate virtually must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom for call details by 12 p.m. Oct. 8, and must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the call starts. All times are Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations.