NASA Welcomes Crew-7’s Return to Earth After Safely Splashing Down

The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is seen as it splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT, returning Crew-7 to Earth.
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is seen as it splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT, returning Crew-7 to Earth. Photo credit: NASA TV.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT, completing a six-month science mission spent aboard the International Space Station.

Teams on the SpaceX recovery ship, including two fast boats, now are in the process of securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for recovery. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the Crew-7 crew members inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will be taken out of the spacecraft and undergo medical checks before a short helicopter ride to board a plane for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA, SpaceX, and international partner representatives will hold a media teleconference later this morning, at 7 a.m. EDT, to discuss the Crew-7 mission and the crew’s return to Earth. The teleconference will be streamed live on NASA’s YouTube channel. Participants include:

  • Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
  • Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office
  • Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
  • Eric van der Wal, Houston office team leader, ESA
  • Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president for human spaceflight and exploration, JAXA

Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following @commercial_crew@Space_Station@ISS_Research on X, as well as the Commercial Crew Facebook, ISS Facebook, and ISS Instagram accounts.

Dragon Completes Deorbit Burn; Crew-7 Readies for Splashdown

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is seen inside SpaceX's Dragon capsule during Crew-7's return to Earth.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is seen inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members return to Earth on March 12, 2024. Next to her is ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen. Dragon is scheduled to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA TV

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov on their return to Earth after 199 days in space, has completed its deorbit burn as expected ahead of splashdown just a little under an hour away.

During its journey home, Dragon will be visible across parts of the Midwest as it prepares for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT. All times are approximate:

  • 5:36 a.m. over southwest Nebraska
  • 5:37 a.m. over the heart of Kansas
  • 5:38 a.m. over northeast Oklahoma
  • 5:39 a.m. over central Arkansas with a low inclination view over parts of northeast Texas
  • 5:40 a.m. over central Mississippi
  • 5:41 a.m. over the southeast/southwest border of Mississippi/Alabama
  • ~5:41 a.m. over Pensacola, Florida, and out over the Gulf

Four minutes before splashdown, the drogue parachutes will deploy at about 18,000 feet in altitude while Dragon is moving approximately 350 miles per hour. Less than a minute later, the main parachutes will deploy at about 6,000 feet in altitude while the spacecraft is moving approximately 119 miles per hour.

Live coverage on NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website will continue until the crew is recovered from the spacecraft.

Carrying Crew-7, SpaceX’s Dragon Prepares for Deorbit Burn

NASA is providing live coverage as Crew-7 crew members NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov return to Earth inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at about 5:47 a.m. EDT. Recovery forces are taking positions in the recovery zone.

The deorbit burn is scheduled to start at 4:56 a.m. EDT and will last approximately 13 minutes.

Dragon Undocks From Station, Crew Headed Back to Earth

SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft carrying the Crew-7 quartet approaches the International Space Station for docking on August 27, 2023, as it soared 261 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft carrying the Crew-7 quartet approaches the International Space Station for docking on August 27, 2023, as it soared 261 miles above the Atlantic Ocean. Photo credit: NASA

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov inside undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 11:20 a.m. EDT to complete a nearly six-month science mission.

NASA coverage of Crew-7’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast. Real-time audio between Crew-7 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available and includes conversations with astronauts aboard the space station and a live video feed from the orbiting laboratory.

NASA TV coverage will resume at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday until Dragon splashes down at approximately 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, off the coast of Florida and Crew-7 members are recovered.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission launched Aug. 26, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.


More details about the mission and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Dragon Hatch Closed; Crew Readies for Undocking From Station

Four Expedition 70 crewmates pose in the pressure suits they will wear when they return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon "Endurance" spacecraft.
Four Expedition 70 crewmates pose in the pressure suits they will wear when they return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mohgensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. The quartet arrived at the International Space Station on Aug. 27, 2023, as SpaceX Crew-7 members aboard Dragon and will splash down off the coast of Florida inside the same spacecraft completing a six-and-a-half-month space research mission. Photo credit: NASA

At 9:15 a.m. EDT, the hatch closed between the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the International Space Station in preparation for undocking and return to Earth of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website will air live coverage beginning at 11 a.m., for undocking scheduled at 11:20 a.m. Following conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA coverage of Crew-7’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast at 4:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Real-time audio between Crew-7 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available.


More details about the mission and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Launches to International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on March 3, 2024, from NASA’s from Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission into orbit for a mission to the International Space Station.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on March 3, 2024, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission into orbit for a mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin are on their way to the International Space Station, following the picture-perfect launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, launched at 10:53 p.m. EST atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

“I want to personally thank the crew for their work and the sacrifice that they’ve made of their time to train and be ready for this mission,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free. “Crew-8’s mission will further the understanding of how humans learn and behave in space and how their bodies respond, and it’s all critical to our lunar exploration. We need all of these to come together to understand how people and technologies and systems will behave when we go on longer duration missions.”

Once in orbit, the crew and SpaceX mission control in Hawthorne, California, will monitor a series of automatic maneuvers that will guide Dragon to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. The spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew can take control and pilot manually, if necessary.

Upon arrival, the members of Crew-8 will be welcomed inside the station by the seven-member crew of Expedition 70 and conduct several days of handover activities with the departing astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. After the handover period, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andy Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Crew-7 will undock from the space station and splash down off the coast of Florida.

“We’ll have five dock days of Crew-8/Crew-7 handover activities, after which we’ll start watching weather and look for a landing opportunity for Crew-7,” said Joel Montalbano, NASA program manager, International Space Station. “Crew-8 will stay onboard the International Space Station until mid-August, performing over 200 experiments in science and research, technology development, and commercialization of low-Earth orbit.”

The members of Crew-8 will conduct new scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth. Experiments include using stem cells to create organoid models to study degenerative diseases, studying the effects of microgravity and UV radiation on plants at a cellular level, and testing whether wearing pressure cuffs on the legs could prevent fluid shifts and reduce health problems in astronauts. These are just a few of the more than 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations taking place during their mission.

At the end of their mission, Crew-8 will complete a short handover with Crew-9, and the Dragon spacecraft – with the four crew members aboard – will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. After splashdown off of Florida’s coast, a SpaceX recovery vessel will pick up the spacecraft and crew, who then will be helicoptered back to shore.

“What a crazy exciting time in space right now,” said Free. “And it’s all rooted in NASA’s mission of exploring the unknown in air and space, innovating for the benefit of humanity, and inspiring the world through discovery. The four individuals of Crew-8 exemplify that.”

The agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth commercial crew rotation mission for NASA.

More details about the mission can be found in the online press kit and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, or commercial crew on Facebook.

Learn more about station activities by following  @space_station and @ISS_Research  on Twitter as well as the ISS Facebook  and ISS Instagram accounts.

Dragon Endeavour Reaches Orbit, News Conference at 12:15 a.m. EST

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launches from Kennedy Space Center at 10:53 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launches from Kennedy Space Center at 10:53 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 3, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps along with Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station has safely reached orbit, and the nosecone has opened.

A postlaunch news conference will be held at approximately 12:15 a.m. EST at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center with the following participants:

  • Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy
  • Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
  • Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

NASA will air the postlaunch news conference on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Follow along with mission activities and get more information on the International Space Station blog.

Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following @commercial_crew, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research on X, as well as the Commercial Crew Facebook, ISS Facebook, and ISS Instagram accounts.

Falcon 9 Second Stage Engine Shuts Down

After about nine minutes of flight, the Falcon 9’s second stage has shut down and the Dragon spacecraft now is in orbit, where it will soon separate from Falcon 9’s upper stage and continue its journey to the International Space Station. Momentarily, the rocket’s first stage will attempt to land at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.