Crew-7 and Endurance Successfully Conclude Six-Month Stay on the International Space Station, Preparing for Return to Earth

After a successful handover to the Crew-8 astronauts, Crew Dragon Endurance and the Crew-7 are preparing to return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). The Crew-7 astronauts, led by spacecraft commander Jasmin Moghbeli, have spent just over six months in orbit, conducting various experiments and familiarizing the Crew-8 with life on board the ISS. Now, they’re packing up their spacecraft for the journey home.

The undocking took place on Monday, March 11 at 11:20 AM EDT (15:20 UTC). A handover ceremony occurred the day before, on Sunday, March 10, where Station commander Andreas Mogensen handed over command to Oleg Kononenko. Kononenko will serve as the ISS commander until September when he returns to Earth with Nikolai Chub.

The departure of Endurance from the ISS does not mark the end of Expedition 70. The expedition will continue until Loral O’Hara leaves the Station, which is scheduled for early April. Throughout Expedition 70, Crew-7 astronauts conducted various experiments, including biomedical ones like CIPHER, which tracked their health during the mission.

One of the notable activities performed by the Crew-7 astronauts was an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) in November. Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara conducted the EVA to install a bearing on a rotary joint and prepare the ISS for another solar array upgrade. Another spacewalk was planned but was postponed to Expedition 71.

Endurance will undock from the Harmony module’s zenith port and target a splashdown off Pensacola, Florida on the Gulf Coast. The actual splashdown location depends on weather conditions at different sites on Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. The current schedule sets the splashdown for Tuesday, March 12, at 5:50 a.m. EDT (09:50 UTC).

Recovery ships Megan and Shannon, named after the first women to fly aboard Crew Dragon, have been prepared for Endurance’s return. Megan will be assigned to the Gulf Coast, sailing out of Tampa Bay, while Shannon will cover the Atlantic Coast and has undergone last-minute training in Port Canaveral. The chosen splashdown site, Pensacola, makes Megan the recovery ship.

To select the splashdown site, specific conditions must be met. These include maintaining winds below 16.5 kilometers per hour, waves with no greater than a seven-degree slope or the same wave period and height, a probability of rain less than 25 percent, and no lightning within 16 kilometers or a probability of greater than 25 percent of lightning in the area. Recovery ships must also pass various tests related to their helicopters and vessel stability.

As Endurance orbits on its own, the Crew-7 astronauts will prepare for their return by donning their launch and entry suits. Approximately an hour before splashdown, the “trunk” containing solar panels and fins will be jettisoned, exposing the heat shield made of PICA-X.

The spacecraft will be positioned with the heat shield facing the direction of flight. The deorbit burn will commence five minutes after the trunk is jettisoned and last for 15 minutes. After completing the burn, Crew-7 will be fully committed to returning home.

Once the deorbit burn is finished, it will take about 37 minutes for Endurance to reach its final splashdown point off the coast of Florida. During reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, plasma from the heat will cause a temporary communications blackout.

After communications are reestablished, two drogue chutes and four main parachutes will be deployed to assist in a safe splashdown into the ocean. A recovery team will sail out to Endurance to check for any fuel leaks or hazards before clearing the spacecraft for retrieval by the recovery ship.

Upon reaching the recovery ship, medical personnel will check the Crew-7 members before they disembark via a helicopter. The Crew Dragon has performed well throughout its career, although some issues have been reported, such as a slow-deploying main parachute and a failed acceptance test on a heat shield that required replacement. SpaceX and NASA will continue monitoring the spacecraft’s safety as it continues its missions to and from the ISS.

The Crew-8 astronauts will now take over and continue the important work started by Crew-7. Crew Dragon Endurance’s return marks the end of another successful mission in space exploration.

(Image Source: NASA)