The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-8 mission crew, which includes Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, has successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and begun its journey back to Earth. The undocking took place at 17:02 U.S. Eastern Time (00:05 Moscow time). The Crew Dragon is expected to splash down on October 25 off the coast of Florida.
TASS special correspondent, Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Wagner also reported the successful undocking of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Wagner noted that the crew closed the hatch to the ship around 19:00 GMT, and the undocking took place at 21:05. He also added that the weather conditions at the landing site are favorable, and expressed hope for a successful descent and soft landing for the crew.
The return of the ship and undocking were postponed several times due to adverse weather conditions. The Crew-8 crew has been working on the ISS since March 2024 and consists of four people: in addition to Grebenkin, the crew includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps.
The Roscosmos and NASA space agencies continue to carry out cross-flights as part of the ISS program, which allows Russian cosmonauts to fly on Crew Dragon ships, and American astronauts on Soyuz. In 2023, plans were announced to continue such missions until 2025 inclusive.
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ISS News: New date announced for Crew-8 return to Earth with cosmonaut Grebenkin