NASA · Sunday, October 4, 2026
NASA sets Crew-12’s departure for no earlier than Oct. 7
The File desk · Oct 4, 2026, 10:59 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed as a schedule (NASA blog, Oct. 3, 2026). Undocking is not earlier than Oct. 7 and still depends on weather.
NASA and SpaceX now plan to undock the Crew-12 capsule no earlier than 1:05 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Oct. 7. If that holds, splashdown off California is about 11:25 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, Oct. 8. This morning, station commander Jessica Meir is scheduled to hand command to cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov at a ceremony that starts at 10:20 a.m. Eastern.
The blog post is dated Oct. 3, 2026. Managers set the date after looking at weather and sea conditions off California.
An Oct. 7 undock puts NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev on that Thursday splashdown timeline. NASA says the exact splashdown time could shift a little once a return spot is chosen.
Undocking still depends on the capsule, the recovery ships, the weather, and the sea. NASA and SpaceX will pick the splashdown time and place closer to departure. The next weather review is about 48 hours before undocking.
On Sunday, Oct. 4, the departing crew is to turn the station over to the crew that is staying. Meir will hand command to Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov. The ceremony starts at 10:20 a.m. Eastern. This edition locks before that hour.
The post is about the ride home. It does not reopen last week’s docking.
What is still unknown or disputed
- Whether the Oct. 7 undock survives the weather review.
- The splashdown coordinates. NASA says it will choose them later.
- The result of this morning’s change-of-command ceremony. It is scheduled, not yet held, at this lock.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
NASA, SpaceX set no earlier than Oct. 7 for Crew-12 departure
NASA · October 3, 2026
Oct. 3, 2026. Undock no earlier than 1:05 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 7. Splashdown about 11:25 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, off California, for Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev. On Oct. 4, Meir hands command to Pyotr Dubrov at a ceremony beginning 10:20 a.m. EDT. Next weather review about 48 hours before undocking.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/10/03/nasa-spacex-set-no-earlier-than-oct-7-for-crew-12-departure/