NASA’s Crew-8 mission, consisting of three NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut, has begun its journey back to Earth after spending six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX Dragon capsule, carrying astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, undocked from the ISS in the early hours of Thursday, around 2:40 am IST, signaling the start of their 34-hour descent.
The astronauts are expected to splash down near the Florida coast on Friday at approximately 1 pm IST. The journey back had been delayed multiple times due to severe weather conditions, including a Category 3 storm, Hurricane Milton, which impacted Florida in early October. Subsequent attempts to bring the crew home were postponed due to unfavorable conditions at the potential splashdown sites. NASA officials highlighted the risk that inclement weather and rough seas could pose to both the Dragon capsule and the recovery teams attempting to retrieve the astronauts.
Crew-8’s return marks the conclusion of a significant mission that began on March 5, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, into orbit from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. The mission was the eighth commercial crew rotation to the ISS, and the astronauts’ time aboard the station was spent conducting more than 200 scientific experiments and technological demonstrations, advancing a range of research fields during their stay.
Originally, the crew was scheduled to return in September, but their mission was extended after their Dragon spacecraft served as a lifeboat for two astronauts who had flown to space on Boeing’s Starliner capsule. The Starliner capsule encountered technical issues, forcing NASA to recall the spacecraft without a crew in early September. As a result, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who were launched on Starliner for a week-long stay, have now been stranded aboard the ISS for over four months, awaiting their return.
Despite the extended stay and delays, NASA’s Crew-8 astronauts have successfully completed their mission and are now on track to return safely to Earth. The Dragon spacecraft, known for its reliability, will bring the astronauts back following its anticipated splashdown near the Florida coast, where recovery teams will be ready to assist in bringing the crew home.
