NASA confirmed the successful undocking of the Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying the Crew-12 astronauts from the International Space Station on October 7, 2026. The four-person crew—NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA’s Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev—began their journey home after spending approximately 237 days aboard the orbiting laboratory. External cameras captured the Dragon capsule slowly separating from the station’s Harmony module, gradually increasing its distance as planned departure burns prepared the vehicle for the next phase of the return. The automated undocking marked the formal end of their long-duration mission and the start of a roughly 27.5-hour flight back to Earth. Mission controllers monitored the departure closely as the spacecraft moved clear of the station’s safety zones. The crew expressed gratitude to their colleagues on the station and the global support teams that made the expedition possible.

Splashdown is targeted for the following day off the coast of California, where recovery teams will retrieve the capsule and its passengers. The return concludes a busy period of research, maintenance, and spacewalks conducted during the crew’s stay. With Crew-12 now en route home, the newly arrived Crew-13 members continue operations aboard the station. Live coverage of the deorbit burn and splashdown is scheduled as the Dragon capsule prepares for atmospheric reentry. The successful separation underscores the reliability of commercial crew transportation between Earth and the International Space Station. Four astronauts who lived and worked in microgravity for nearly eight months are finally headed back to solid ground.