NASA says its SpaceX Crew-12 mission is nearly over. The crew is scheduled to leave the International Space Station and return to Earth in early October. Final undocking and splashdown times for crewed Dragon flights usually depend on the weather in the recovery zone.
Four people are heading home: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot of France and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. They will make the trip back in a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
The crew worked on a wide range of experiments during their time on the station. According to NASA, the research has two goals: to produce benefits for people on Earth and to build the knowledge needed for future crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit, including to the Moon and Mars.
Their return will close out another rotation under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which uses SpaceX to fly crews to and from the orbiting laboratory.
