SpaceX Crew-10 Begins Journey Home From International Space Station

The four astronauts comprising the SpaceX Crew-10 mission initiated their return to Earth Friday as their spacecraft, named Endurance, detached from the International Space Station (ISS). The undocking occurred at 6:15 p.m. EDT (2215 GMT), marking the start of a carefully planned descent towards the Pacific Ocean.

Prior to separation, hatches between Endurance and the ISS were sealed at 4:20 p.m. EDT (2020 GMT). The crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and pilot Nichole Ayers, alongside JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, are slated to splash down off the coast of California at approximately 11:33 a.m. EDT (1533 GMT) on Saturday morning. NASA will provide live coverage of the descent, with Space.com simulcasting the agency’s stream where available. A post-landing press conference is also scheduled for Saturday at 1:00 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT).

The Crew-10 mission commenced March 14 when the team launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, reaching the ISS two days later. Their tenure on the station has concluded as their replacements, the four astronauts of SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission, arrived at the orbiting laboratory earlier this month, on August 2nd.

A formal farewell ceremony was held Tuesday afternoon (August 5th), allowing the departing crew to express gratitude for the support received throughout their nearly four-month stay and acknowledge the collaborative nature of space exploration. “We truly are very humbled to represent humanity,” stated McClain during the sendoff, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in achieving ambitious goals.