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Astronauts of SpaceX Crew-7 Mission Returning to Earth
Four astronauts are set to depart from the International Space Station today to begin their journey back to Earth. The SpaceX Crew-7 mission, consisting of NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, will undock from the ISS at 11:20 a.m. EDT (1520 GMT).
Coverage of the undocking process is scheduled to commence at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on NASA Television via Space.com. It is important to note that these timings are subject to potential changes due to operational necessities or other variables.
If all goes according to plan, the Crew-7 members are expected to splash down off the coast of Florida no earlier than 5:35 a.m. EDT (0935 GMT) on Tuesday. However, this timeline is contingent upon the selection of the splashdown site. The live coverage of the event is scheduled to start at 4:30 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT).
The Crew-7 team, aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endurance, embarked on their journey to the ISS on August 26 for a six-month stay on the space station. During their tenure, they conducted numerous experiments, handled cargo shipments, and accommodated the private Axiom Space Ax-3 crew during a two-week visit to the ISS.
In a significant achievement, Moghbeli participated in the fourth-ever all-woman spacewalk on November 1, 2023, alongside her NASA colleague, Loral O’Hara. This spacewalk involved crucial tasks such as replacing a faulty electronics box. Additionally, a planned spacewalk involving Moghbeli and Mogensen was initially delayed and later canceled due to a leak in the Russian segment of the ISS in October.
As Mogensen expressed on social media following the postponement, safety remains a top priority in space missions. “NASA will need more time to assess the readiness of the EVA,” he shared from the ISS on October 11, 2023. “I fully support the safety-first approach we always take when it comes to space, even if it means waiting a bit longer to go on our spacewalk.”
Update:
The undocking timing has been adjusted by NASA
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