NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 7:05 a.m. EDT Sunday, Oct. 13, for the agency's SpaceX Crew-8 mission to undock from the International Space Station. Pending weather conditions, the earliest splashdown time is targeted for 3:38 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, at one of the multiple zones available off the coast of Florida.
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, are completing a seven-month science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return important and time-sensitive research to Earth.
Mission managers continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon's undocking depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA will select a specific splashdown time and location closer to the Crew-8 spacecraft undocking.
Watch Crew-8 return activities on NASA+. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of additional platforms, including social media. For schedule information, visit:
For the planned Oct. 13 undocking, NASA's live return operations coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Sunday, Oct. 13
5 a.m. - Hatch closure coverage begins on NASA+
5:30 a.m. - Hatch closing
6:45 a.m. - Undocking coverage begins on NASA+
7:05 a.m. - Undocking
Following the conclusion of undocking, NASA coverage will switch to audio only.
Pending weather conditions at the splashdown sites, continuous coverage will resume Oct. 14, on NASA+ prior to the start of deorbit burn.
Monday, Oct. 14
2:30 p.m. - Return coverage begins on NASA+
2:53 p.m. - Deorbit burn (time is approximate)
3:38 p.m. - Splashdown (time is approximate)
5:15 p.m. - Return to Earth media teleconference with the following participants:
- Richard Jones, deputy manager, NASA's Commercial Crew Program
- Bill Spetch, operations and integration manager, NASA's International Space Station Program
- William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build & Flight Reliability, SpaceX
