Editor’s Note: This advisory was updated on Oct. 13, 2022, as NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 11:35 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 14, for the agency’s Crew-4 undocking from the International Space Station to begin their return trip to Earth completing a nearly six-month science mission in orbit. Splashdown is targeted several hours later at approximately 4:50 p.m. off the coast of Florida.
Editor’s Note: This advisory was updated on Oct. 12, 2022, as NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 10:05 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 13, for the agency’s Crew-4 undocking from the International Space Station to begin the return trip to Earth completing a nearly six-month science mission in orbit. Splashdown is targeted several hours later at 5:43 p.m. Thursday off the coast of Florida.
NASA will provide live coverage of the upcoming return activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 4:50 p.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 14, for the splashdown and conclusion of the Crew-4 flight, wrapping up a nearly six-month science mission for NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the space station no earlier than 11:35 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14, to begin the journey home.
Mission teams continue to monitor a cold front passing through Florida on Thursday, Oct. 13, bringing high winds and rainy weather near the splashdown zones off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Current weather predictions are showing greater forecast certainty Friday due to a high-pressure system behind the cold front, which is expected to bring more favorable conditions for splashdown and recovery. NASA and SpaceX will continue to monitor splashdown and recovery conditions with another weather review around eight hours prior to undocking. Teams also will review multiple options for undocking opportunities Friday, Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct. 15.
Crew-4’s Dragon undocking depends on a variety of factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. Dragon Freedom remains healthy while currently docked to the space station.
Dragon’s hatch closing, undocking, and splashdown coverage will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA also will host an audio only post-splashdown news teleconference. Follow all live events at:
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 return coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):
Friday, Oct. 14
9:30 a.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins for 9:55 a.m. hatch closing
11:15 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins for 11:35 a.m. undocking with a Friday splashdown
4:50 p.m. (approximately) – Splashdown off the coast of Florida
6:30 p.m. – Return to Earth media teleconference call from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with:
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
- Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
- Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111 by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14.
See full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the mission at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
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Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Brittney Thorpe / Kathleen Haas Ellis
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
Brittney.thorpe@nasa.gov / kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov
Leah Cheshier / Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov / daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov
Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Brittney Thorpe / Kathleen Haas Ellis
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
Brittney.thorpe@nasa.gov / kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov
Leah Cheshier / Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov / daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov