SpaceX’s Crew-10 Astronauts Prepare for Return to Earth

SpaceX’s Crew-10 astronauts are set to return to Earth today, August 7, 2023, after a four-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Crew Dragon capsule, named Endurance, is scheduled to undock from the ISS at 12:05 p.m. EDT (16:05 GMT) and is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 24 hours later.

NASA will provide live coverage of this critical event, with streaming beginning at 9:45 a.m. EDT (13:45 GMT). The initial broadcast will show the closing of the hatches between Endurance and the ISS, anticipated at 10:20 a.m. EDT (14:20 GMT). Coverage will resume at 11:45 a.m. EDT (15:45 GMT), just 20 minutes before the capsule’s undocking. Following a break, the webcast will continue on August 8 at 10:45 a.m. EDT (14:45 GMT) for the reentry and splashdown activities. The planned splashdown is set for 11:58 a.m. EDT (15:58 GMT).

In the event of unfavorable weather conditions in the splashdown area, the timeline may be adjusted. NASA has also scheduled a post-landing press conference on August 8 at 1:30 p.m. EDT (17:30 GMT) to discuss the mission’s outcomes.

The Crew-10 mission launched on March 14, 2023, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, arriving at the ISS two days later. The mission team includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain, the mission’s commander, and Nichole Ayers, the pilot. They are joined by Takuya Onishi from JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Kiril Peskov from Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos.

On August 5, the Crew-10 team participated in a farewell ceremony alongside the seven other astronauts currently on the ISS. During the ceremony, Commander McClain expressed gratitude to the ground teams that supported their mission. “Crew-10 has had the absolute privilege of working here for the last four months,” she stated. “We truly are very humbled to represent humanity, and we hope that we can be a reminder to others of the goodness of humanity and what we really can accomplish when we work together.”

The Crew-10 astronauts will be replaced by the four members of SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission, who arrived at the ISS on August 2, 2023. With their successful mission, the Crew-10 astronauts have made significant contributions to ongoing scientific research and international cooperation aboard the orbital laboratory.