NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 to undock from ISS, splashdown off coast of California
A photo of NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 mission: Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, Commander and Pilot respectively, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Mission Specialist So
Now that NASA's Crew 13 astronauts are safely aboard the International Space Station, Crew 12 is preparing to undock and begin its journey back to Earth.
Crew 12 is scheduled to undock from the Space Station on Wednesday morning, with a splashdown off the coast of California expected Thursday morning.
How to watch live: Crew-12 undocking & splashdown
Timeline:
NASA's Crew 12 is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 8:05 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Oct. 7, to begin its 26-hour journey back to Earth. The capsule is scheduled to splashdown off the coast of California at 11:34 a.m. on Thursday morning, Oct. 8.
Meet the Crew 12 astronauts
The backstory:
There were four astronauts part of NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 mission:
- NASA's Jessica Meir (Commander)
- Jack Hathaway (Pilot)
- ESA's Sophie Adenot (Mission Specialist)
- Roscomos' Andrey Fedyaev (Mission Specialist)
NASA's Crew 12 launched to the International Space Station on Feb. 13, 2026, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. They helped conduct research and experiments aboard the Space Station over the last eight months, NASA said.
NASA post-splashdown press conference
After Crew 12 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, NASA is planning to host a press conference at 1:15 p.m.
NASA's Crew 13
What's next:
NASA's SpaceX Crew 13 launched to the International Space Station on Thursday, Oct. 1.
There are four astronauts part of that mission: NASA's Jessica Watkins (spacecraft commander), NASA's Luke Delaney (mission pilot), CSA's Josh Kutryk (mission specialist), and Roscosmos' Sergey Teteryatnikov (mission specialist).
Luke DeLaney is a Florida native. He graduated from DeLand High School in Volusia County, and earned his bachelor's degree from the University of North Florida and his master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Crew 13 is expected to spend next several months aboard the Space Station conducting research and experiments in space.
The Source: This story uses information on both NASA's Crew 12 and Crew 13 from NASA's website and official blog.