Crew-10 Mission Concludes with Departure from International Space Station

The Crew-10 mission embarked on its return journey Friday evening as the Dragon 9 spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station. The separation, initially slated for 6:05 p.m. EDT, was officially confirmed half an hour later. Preparations began earlier that day with hatch closure at 4:20 p.m., paving the way for Dragon’s departure sequence.

Following undocking, the spacecraft initiated a series of maneuvers to separate from the ISS, which maintains its orbit approximately 250 miles above Earth. The trajectory now sets course toward a targeted splashdown off the Southern California coast at 8:33 a.m. PDT on Saturday. Real-time tracking information is available on SpaceX’s website.

This mission marks the inaugural crewed spaceflight to conclude with a Pacific Ocean landing, signifying a shift in recovery operations following the relocation of SpaceX’s support vessel, Shannon, from Port Canaveral, Florida, to a location near Long Beach.

Aboard Dragon, designated “Endurance,” are NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. The spacecraft is carrying science samples back to Earth.

During a farewell ceremony held Tuesday aboard the space station, McClain expressed her gratitude on behalf of the Crew-10 team, stating they felt privileged to have worked at the ISS and deeply humbled to represent humanity in their endeavors. She emphasized the importance of collaboration in achieving significant goals.

This mission represented Endurance’s fourth deployment since its inaugural flight in 2021. Meanwhile, the arrival of SpaceX’s Crew-11 members – Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov – at the space station occurred Saturday, continuing ongoing operations.