International Astronaut Crew Prepares for Historic Splashdown After ISS Mission

July 11, 2025
International Astronaut Crew Prepares for Historic Splashdown After ISS Mission
  • The four-member astronaut crew will undock from the Harmony module at approximately 7:05 a.m. EDT, marking their departure from the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Dragon "Grace".

  • The undocking is scheduled to occur at 7:05 a.m. ET, weather permitting, as part of the final phase of their mission.

  • The crew, including astronauts from the U.S., India, Poland, and Hungary, will undergo three main stages of coverage: hatch closure, undocking, and splashdown, with plans to splash down off the coast of California.

  • This mission is notable for reintroducing human spaceflight to Poland and Hungary after over 40 years, with crew members from these countries participating for the first time in decades.

  • The crew consists of Commander Peggy Whitson from NASA, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from ISRO, and Mission Specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from ESA, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, all of whom will have spent about two weeks in space.

  • Weather conditions will be closely monitored to ensure the safety of the spacecraft and crew during their return, with splashdown expected off the California coast.

  • The Dragon spacecraft will return with over 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from more than 60 experiments conducted during the mission.

  • NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX will provide live coverage of the undocking and departure from the ISS on July 14, 2025, starting with hatch closing at 4:30 a.m. EDT.

  • Coverage will include multiple stages of the departure process, with updates available on axiom.space/live and SpaceX’s website.

  • This mission exemplifies NASA's broader strategy to develop a sustainable low Earth orbit economy, enabling the agency to focus on deeper space exploration like Artemis missions to the Moon.

Summary based on 2 sources


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