Crew-12 to undock from ISS No Earlier Than Oct. 7

NASA and SpaceX have set Crew-12’s undocking from the International Space Station for no earlier than 8:05 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. If all goes as planned and the crew departs the station that morning, splashdown will happen off the coast of California around 11:34 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 8.

That puts the returning crew in transit for about 27 and a half hours, between undocking and splashing down.

While the current plan remains live for Oct. 7, it will depend on local weather to go forward for the return of this Crew Dragon.

The Return Date Already Slipped

Last Friday, the plan was for Crew-12 to depart as early as today, weather permitting, while program managers were watching the California coast. However, following a series of departure weather briefings, NASA has rescinded that guidance and made adjustments.

As of Saturday, due to weather and splashdown conditions, NASA and SpaceX now expect that the Crew Dragon will undock at 8:05 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, two days later than the Monday window. That window still has potential to move, but as it stands, Crew-12 is perfectly safe up in orbit on the ISS, and in no rush to return.

Leaving the station still depends on the spacecraft being ready, the recovery team being ready, the weather, sea states, and other factors. Potential issues with any of those, from Crew Dragon to the recovery team, to rough seas or poor weather, can prevent the undock from happening even last minute.

NASA and SpaceX will choose a specific splashdown time, and a specific place off the California coast, closer to undocking. After they pick that place, the splashdown time can shift slightly.

NASA and SpaceX will continue doing weather reviews leading up to the departure, including right before undocking actually commences. If everything is green, Crew Dragon will undock with Crew-12 on board and begin its descent back home.

Who Is Coming Home

Four people are coming home: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Crew-13 is already aboard after an arrival on Oct. 1 with a different Crew Dragon. Once these four undock, the station will be back down to just seven people.

Meir, Hathaway, Adenot, and Fedyaev have spent several days packing cargo, configuring Dragon systems, and testing pressure suits to ensure everything is ready for their return. They arrived in orbit all the way back on Feb. 14, 2026, so its been a long trip.