Produced by: Tarun Mishra
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin boarded the Crew Dragon Endeavour on Wednesday for their journey back to Earth after nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The hatch was closed at 5:05 p.m. ET as the team prepared for undocking from the ISS. They are targeting a splashdown off the coast of Florida early Friday morning, after several weather-related delays.
The crew launched from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 4 and arrived at the ISS the following day. By the time they land, they will have spent 236 days in space, conducting scientific research and technology demonstrations.
Before their departure, the Crew-8 team welcomed Crew-9 on September 29. The new crew includes NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who will remain on the ISS for five months as part of Expedition 72.
Crew-9 joined NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been aboard since June. Wilmore and Williams arrived on Boeing's Starliner but stayed on the ISS due to concerns about Starliner's propulsion system, which returned to Earth without them.
Crew-8’s return was delayed due to poor weather conditions, including Hurricane Milton. SpaceX had to evaluate several splashdown sites in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to ensure a safe landing.
Endeavour, the first Crew Dragon to fly with humans, is the fleet leader. This mission marks its fifth flight, following earlier missions such as Demo-2, Crew-2, Axiom Space Ax-1, and Crew-6, all of which involved docking with the ISS.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon fleet has now completed 15 crewed missions, carrying a total of 56 people to space, including five private missions. Crew-8’s successful return will continue SpaceX's role in NASA’s ongoing human spaceflight program.