Don’t Miss It: SpaceX’s Crew-10 Astronauts Return to Earth Live on August 8!

Update for Aug. 7: NASA and SpaceX have postponed the return of Crew-10 due to weather issues.

The agencies stated, “We are standing down from the Thursday undocking opportunity of the Crew-10 mission from the International Space Station due to high winds forecasted for the splashdown locations off the coast of California.”

Now, they aim to undock Crew-10’s Dragon spacecraft no earlier than 6:05 p.m. EDT on Friday (Aug. 8).

On Friday, Crew-10’s capsule, named Endurance, is expected to separate from the ISS at 6:05 p.m. EDT and splash down 17.5 hours later at 11:33 a.m. on Saturday (Aug. 9). You can catch all the action live via NASA’s stream or through Space.com, if available.

Nasa will begin its coverage at 3:45 p.m. EDT, discussing details as the hatches between Endurance and the ISS close. This will lead up to undocking at 4:20 p.m. EDT. Coverage will resume on Saturday at 10:15 a.m. EDT for reentry and splashdown activities.

The splashdown is expected in the Pacific Ocean off California. NASA plans a press conference after the landing at 1:00 p.m. EDT, assuming everything goes as scheduled.

However, keep in mind that if weather conditions worsen, the departure timeline might change.

Crew-10 launched on March 14 atop a Falcon 9 rocket, reaching the ISS two days later. The mission includes NASA’s Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi from JAXA, and Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos. McClain serves as the commander, Ayers is the pilot, while Onishi and Peskov are mission specialists.

The Crew-10 astronauts recently held a farewell ceremony at the ISS, thanking all the ground teams that supported their mission. McClain expressed gratitude, saying, “We hope to remind everyone of the goodness of humanity and what we can achieve together.”

Interestingly, the Crew-11 mission, which consists of four new astronauts, arrived at the ISS on August 2, ready to take over from Crew-10.

In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 62% of Americans expressed excitement about space exploration, showing strong public interest in missions like Crew-10. The rising fascination with space not only reflects our desire for discovery but also drives advancements in technology and science.

As we look to the future, missions like these contribute significantly to our understanding of life beyond Earth, highlighting both the challenges and possibilities that lie ahead.

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