NASA and SpaceX Target Oct. 7 Undocking for Crew-12
NASA and SpaceX are aiming for no earlier than 8:05 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 7, to undock the agency's SpaceX Crew-12 mission from the International Space Station. The target date is provisional, and mission managers are continuing to monitor conditions in the recovery area before committing to the timeline.
If the crew departs on that schedule, the four astronauts aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft would splash down off the coast of California at approximately 11:34 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8. NASA has published a complete rundown of its live return coverage, which will stream across a variety of platforms as the crew moves from the orbiting laboratory back to Earth.
The advisory, issued from NASA Headquarters, lays out both the operational timeline and the viewing schedule, giving the public a detailed map of a two-day handover from station operations to Pacific recovery.
Who Is Flying Home Aboard Dragon
Crew-12 carries four people representing three space agencies. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway are aboard, with Meir serving as commander and Hathaway as pilot. ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev round out the crew as mission specialists.
Ahead of their departure, the four gathered for a portrait wearing the pressure suits they will wear when they leave the space station inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The image, credited to NASA's Anil Menon, shows the full crew side by side — a standard milestone as a rotation prepares to close out its time in orbit.
Undocking Hinges on More Than Weather
Weather is only one of several items on the checklist. NASA notes that the undocking of Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather conditions in the Pacific off the coast of California, and other factors. Mission managers are continuing to monitor conditions in the recovery area, where teams and vessels would be positioned to greet the capsule after splashdown.
Because those variables can shift, the published times are described as subject to change based on real-time operations. That caveat applies to every entry on the schedule, from hatch closure through the post-splashdown briefing.
Coverage Schedule: Wednesday, Oct. 7
NASA's departure-day coverage begins well before the capsule separates from the station, with several distinct blocks of programming. All times are Eastern and may be adjusted as operations unfold:
- 6 a.m.: Hatch closure coverage begins
- 6:20 a.m.: Hatch closing
- 7:45 a.m.: Undocking coverage begins
- 8:05 a.m.: Undocking
Separating those steps into separate coverage windows gives viewers a sequence rather than a single event: the sealing of the spacecraft, the formal start of undocking coverage, and then the moment Dragon releases from the orbital complex.
Coverage Schedule: Thursday, Oct. 8
Return day compresses the most consequential milestones into roughly three hours of airtime, ending with the crew back on Earth:
- 10:20 a.m.: Return coverage begins
- 10:46 a.m.: Deorbit burn
- 11:34 a.m.: Splashdown
- 1:15 p.m.: International Space Station briefing covering the Crew-12 return and the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services-35 launch
The deorbit burn and splashdown are the two anchors of the day. The first commits the spacecraft to reentry; the second marks the end of the flight and the start of recovery operations off California.
Audio-Only Communications During Transit
Once undocking coverage concludes, NASA will provide audio-only communications between Crew-12, the space station, and flight controllers while Dragon transits away from the orbital complex. The audio-only format keeps a channel open during the quiet stretch between departure and the start of return-day programming, when the crew is monitoring systems rather than performing the major maneuvers that draw full video coverage.
Station Briefing to Cover Return and CRS-35
At 1:15 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Oct. 8, NASA will hold an International Space Station briefing that pairs the Crew-12 return with the upcoming SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services-35 launch. Linking the two reflects the station's overlapping traffic: a crewed Dragon heading home while a cargo Dragon is being prepared to head up.
The briefing participants are:
- Bill Spetch, deputy manager of Commercial, NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program
- Dr. Liz Warren, deputy chief scientist, NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program
- Lee Echerd, senior mission manager, Customer Operations and Integration, SpaceX
- Andreas Mogensen, leader, Human Exploration Group, ESA
How Media Can Join the Briefing
Reporters who want to take part virtually must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom for call details by 12 p.m. on Oct. 8 at [email protected] or 281-483-5111. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. NASA's media credentialing policy is available online for those who need to confirm eligibility.
Where to Watch the Return Live
NASA's live Crew-12 return coverage will stream through a variety of platforms, and the agency directs viewers to its live page at nasa.gov/live for details on where to watch. Additional background on the flight is available through NASA's Crew-12 mission page.
Because the agency publishes coverage windows in advance but adjusts them in real time, viewers tracking the sequence should treat the 8:05 a.m. undocking and 11:34 a.m. splashdown targets as the reference points, with the surrounding programming shifting as needed around spacecraft and recovery team readiness, Pacific weather, and other operational factors.
This article is based on reporting by NASA. Read the original article.
Originally published on nasa.gov
