International Astronaut Crew Prepares for Historic Splashdown After ISS Mission
July 11, 2025
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.
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