SpaceX Crew-4 Returns with Splashdown on Florida’s Atlantic Coast

SpaceX Crew-4 Returns with Splashdown on Florida’s Atlantic Coast

The SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship carrying four astronauts splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship carrying four astronauts splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Freedom in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 4:55 p.m. EDT after 170 days in space.

Teams on the Megan recovery ship, including two fast boats, now are in the process of securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for the recovery effort. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck of Megan with the astronauts inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will be taken out of the spacecraft and receive medical checks before a helicopter ride to Jacksonville to board a plane for Houston.


More details about the mission and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Mark Garcia

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Dragon Freedom Undocks with SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts

Dragon Freedom Undocks with SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts

The SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship with four Crew-4 astronauts aboard undocks from the space station to begin its return to Earth. Credit: NASA TV
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship with four Crew-4 astronauts aboard undocks from the space station to begin its return to Earth. Credit: NASA TV

The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft with NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti inside undocked from the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 12:05 p.m. EDT to complete a nearly six-month science mission.

NASA will continue to provide live coverage until Freedom splashes down at approximately 4:55 p.m. EDT near Jacksonville off the coast of Florida and the Crew-4 astronauts are recovered.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission launched Apr. 27 on a Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and docked to the space station later the same day.


More details about the mission and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Mark Garcia

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Safely Splash Down in Atlantic

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Safely Splash Down in Atlantic

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts aboard the Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down Friday off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, completing the agency’s fourth commercial crew mission to the International Space Station. The international crew of four spent 170 days in orbit.

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Hatches Closed, SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Prepare to Undock

Hatches Closed, SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Prepare to Undock

The SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship is pictured docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port where it been parked since April 27, 2022. Credit: NASA TV
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s space-facing port where it been parked since April 27, 2022. Credit: NASA TV

At 10:20 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 14, the hatch closed between the Dragon Freedom spacecraft and the International Space Station in preparation for undocking and return to Earth of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission with NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

NASA Television will air live coverage beginning at 11:15 a.m., for undocking scheduled at 11:35 a.m. and continue coverage through their splashdown off the coast of Florida at about 4:55 p.m.


More details about the mission and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Mark Garcia

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The SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Prepare to Undock Today

The SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Prepare to Undock Today

Astronauts (from left) Jessica Watkins, Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Samantha Cristoforetti talk to journalists on Earth about the space station mission. Credit: NASA TV
Astronauts (from left) Jessica Watkins, Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Samantha Cristoforetti talk to journalists on Earth about the space station mission. Credit: NASA TV

Watch live coverage now on NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website as hatch closure and undocking preparations are underway for the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission.

NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti are in the process of boarding the Dragon for departure from the International Space Station.

Crew-4 is targeting a return to Earth at about 4:55 p.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 14, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom, is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 11:35 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 14, to begin the journey home.

Dragon will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and splash down at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. Freedom also will return important and time-sensitive research to Earth.


Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Mark Garcia

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