Watch: Four astronauts undock from Space Station for fiery return to Earth

Four astronauts have departed from the International Space Station (ISS) after nearly eight months in orbit, beginning their journey back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.Nasa astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev undocked from the space station at 5:35 pm IST on Wednesday, October 7.WATCH THE MOMENT CREW-12 UNDOCKED FROM SPACE STATION: EIGHT MONTHS IN SPACEThe four astronauts are now travelling around Earth inside Dragon and are expected to spend a little more than a day in space before returning home.Their spacecraft is scheduled to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at about 9:04 pm IST on Thursday, October 8. The timing remains subject to weather and recovery conditions.Crew-12 launched from Florida in February 2026 and reached the International Space Station the following day. An image shows the Dragon's hatch being closed prior to the undocking. (Photo: Nasa) By the time they return, Meir, Hathaway, Adenot and Fedyaev will have completed 237 days in space.During their stay, the four astronauts were part of the station's continuing research programme, carrying out experiments designed to understand how the human body and other materials behave in space.Their work included research into possible cancer treatments, bone and cartilage growth, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and stem cells.The crew also supported experiments involving metal 3D printing, which could one day help astronauts make replacement parts in space rather than wait for supplies from Earth.The International Space Station, which orbits Earth roughly 400 km above the surface, serves as a laboratory where scientists can conduct experiments that would be difficult or impossible on Earth.They say when one door closes, another one opens. In this case, we are closing two doors and opening many more. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Crew-12 reuniting with their families. The entire @Space_Station crew wishes them a safe journey. Godspeed https://t.co/cM9Y79OFg4— Anil Menon (@astro_anil) October 7, 2026WHY HAS CREW-12 LEFT THE SPACE STATION?Crew-12's return is part of a planned changeover aboard the station.Nasa's SpaceX Crew-13 arrived on October 1 with four new astronauts, temporarily taking the station's population to 11.Before leaving, Meir handed command of the space station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov during a change-of-command ceremony. A Crew-12 member is seen carrying out fitness tests aboard the ISS. (Photo: Nasa) With Crew-12 now on its way home, seven people remain aboard the space station to continue research and maintenance.For the returning astronauts, however, the mission is not quite over.After months in weightlessness, they will have to adjust to Earth's gravity again as Dragon makes its final descent and parachutes into the Pacific.- Ends