NASA and SpaceX are planning for the Crew-8 mission to undock from the International Space Station on Sunday, October 13, at 7:05 a.m. EDT. The crew, including NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, have been on a seven-month science expedition and will be bringing back important research to Earth.
The splashdown is scheduled for Monday, October 14, at 3:38 p.m. EDT off the coast of Florida, pending favorable weather conditions. The exact time and location of the splashdown will be determined closer to the undocking of the spacecraft.
NASA is closely monitoring various factors like spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, and sea states to ensure a safe return for the crew. You can watch the return activities of Crew-8 on NASA+ and other streaming platforms. For more information and schedule updates, visit https://www.nasa.gov/live.
On Sunday, October 13, NASA will provide live coverage of the return operations, starting with hatch closure at 5 a.m. EDT on NASA+. The hatch will be closed at 5:30 a.m., followed by undocking at 7:05 a.m. After undocking, NASA’s coverage will switch to audio only until the splashdown.
If weather conditions permit, continuous coverage will resume on October 14, with the start of deorbit burn at 2:53 p.m. and splashdown at 3:38 p.m. EDT. A media teleconference will take place at 5:15 p.m. with key participants from NASA and SpaceX to discuss the mission.
Media interested in participating in the teleconference must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 3 p.m. on October 14. Questions can be submitted before the call, and the agency’s media credentialing policy is available online for reference.
For comprehensive coverage of the Crew-8 mission and updates, you can visit https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Stay tuned for more information and details about the return of the crew from their science expedition in space.
For any media inquiries or additional information, you can reach out to the NASA Headquarters in Washington or the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Contact details for media representatives are provided for your convenience.
Overall, the safe return of the Crew-8 mission is a significant event for NASA and SpaceX, marking the completion of another successful expedition to the International Space Station. Stay connected for more updates and coverage of this important mission.