NASA Provides Live Coverage of SpaceX Crew-7 Return to Earth from International Space Station
After nearly six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the crew of SpaceX Crew-7 is preparing to return to Earth. NASA will be providing live coverage of their journey, starting with a change-of-command ceremony on Sunday, March 10.
The crew members of SpaceX Crew-7 include NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. They have been conducting various scientific experiments during their time on the ISS and will be bringing back time-sensitive research to Earth.
If weather conditions permit, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the space station on Monday, March 11, at 11:05 a.m. EDT. NASA’s coverage of the event will begin at 10:45 a.m. The spacecraft is expected to splashdown off the coast of Florida as early as 5:35 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12.
Viewers can watch the return and related activities live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA TV can also be streamed through various platforms, including social media.
Here is the breakdown of NASA’s coverage schedule (all times Eastern):
Sunday, March 10
– 11:55 a.m.: Crew-7 farewell remarks and change of command ceremony aboard the space station
Monday, March 11
– 9 a.m.: Hatch closure coverage begins
– 9:15 a.m.: Hatch closing
– 10:45 a.m.: Undocking coverage begins
– 11:05 a.m.: Undocking
Once the Dragon spacecraft departs from the station, NASA’s coverage will continue with audio only. Full coverage will resume ahead of the deorbit burn and splashdown.
Tuesday, March 12
– 4:30 a.m.: Coverage begins as the spacecraft leaves low Earth orbit, completes re-entry, and prepares for splashdown
– 5:35 a.m.: Splashdown
Following the successful return of the crew, NASA will hold a media teleconference call at 7 a.m. Participants in the call will include Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program; Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration at NASA’s International Space Station Office; a representative from SpaceX; Eric Van Der Wal, Houston office team leader at ESA; and Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president for human space flight and space exploration at JAXA.
Media representatives who wish to ask questions during the teleconference call can contact the Kennedy newsroom for the dial-in number and passcode. The deadline to do so is 6 a.m. on Tuesday, March 11.
For more information about the mission and to access full mission coverage, readers can visit NASA’s commercial crew blog at https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew.
In conclusion, NASA is gearing up for the return of the SpaceX Crew-7 from the International Space Station. With live coverage of the change-of-command ceremony, undocking, and splashdown, viewers will have a front-row seat to witness this historic event. Stay tuned to NASA’s various platforms for all the latest updates and join in the excitement as the crew safely returns to Earth.