Watch NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Return to Earth: Historic Pacific Splashdown

Get ready to welcome home the Crew-10 astronauts! After months aboard the International Space Station, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is making its highly anticipated return to Earth. Their Dragon capsule, appropriately named Endurance, is set for a Pacific Ocean splashdown off the California coast at approximately 11:33 AM Eastern Time today, August 9th.

The journey home began yesterday, August 8th, at 6:15 PM Eastern, when Endurance gracefully undocked from the ISS. Onboard are a diverse and dedicated team: NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. These four incredible individuals have spent five months living and working in orbit, passing the torch to the newly arrived Crew-11 just a week before their departure.

During their five-month tenure, the Crew-10 astronauts were instrumental in advancing our understanding of life in space. Their extensive research included critical studies on the physiological and psychological impacts of long-duration space missions, helping scientists better prepare for future human exploration. They also conducted fascinating experiments, such as observing how blood flows from the brain to the heart in microgravity – just one of many vital contributions to space science.

This particular splashdown marks a historic first: it’s NASA’s inaugural Commercial Crew mission to return to the Pacific Ocean, a departure from previous missions which typically landed off the coast of Florida. Don’t miss this exciting moment! NASA will provide live coverage of the Crew-10 return, starting at 10:15 AM Eastern Time today, August 9th. You can watch the Endurance capsule splash down on NASA+ or via the live YouTube stream below. Following the recovery of the astronauts, NASA will host a teleconference, which will also be broadcast live on their website.