NASA · Tuesday, October 6, 2026
NASA moves Crew-12’s departure to Wednesday morning, with splashdown Thursday before noon
The File desk · Oct 6, 2026, 10:40 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed. NASA media advisory M26-075, Oct. 5, and the station blog the same day. Sunday’s edition had the earlier clocks. The Oct. 4 change of command is now confirmed by NASA.
- Confirmed
Undocking is targeted no earlier than 8:05 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Splashdown off California is about 11:34 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, Oct. 8.
- Confirmed
NASA said cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov took command from Jessica Meir on Sunday, Oct. 4.
NASA now plans to undock the Crew-12 capsule from the International Space Station at 8:05 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Oct. 7, seven hours later than the 1:05 a.m. time it gave on Saturday. If that holds, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will splash down off California at about 11:34 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, Oct. 8. On Sunday, Meir handed command of the station to cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov.
Sunday’s edition carried the earlier plan. NASA’s new advisory, M26-075, lists the coverage in Eastern time, and says the times can still change. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, hatch closing is 6:20 a.m. and undocking is 8:05 a.m. On Thursday, the deorbit burn is 10:46 a.m., splashdown is 11:34 a.m., and a briefing is 1:15 p.m. Undocking depends on weather in the Pacific recovery area.
The station blog says Crew-12 has been aboard since Feb. 14. The splashdown would end a nearly eight-month stay. The same post says Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo ship is to be released at the end of the week. SpaceX’s 35th cargo mission comes soon after. No date for that launch is on the page.
The blog also confirms the change of command. Pyotr Dubrov accepted command from Meir on Sunday, Oct. 4. An earlier calendar note said that ceremony was not confirmed. NASA has now posted that it happened.
What is still unknown or disputed
- Why the undocking moved. The advisory does not say.
- Any later weather change. None was on the pages 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 to Stream SpaceX Crew-12 Return, Splashdown Live
NASA · October 5, 2026
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 8:05 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 7, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission from the International Space Station, pending weather conditions.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-stream-spacex-crew-12-return-splashdown-live/
Source 2
Expedition 75 Welcomes Crew-13 and Preps for Crew-12 Departure
NASA Space Station blog · October 5, 2026
Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov accepted command of the International Space Station from Meir on Sunday, Oct. 4, during a traditional change of command ceremony.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/10/05/expedition-75-welcomes-crew-13-and-preps-for-crew-12-departure/
Source 3
NASA sets Crew-12’s departure for no earlier than Oct. 7
The File · October 4, 2026
Sunday’s edition carried the earlier plan: undock no earlier than 1:05 a.m. Eastern on Oct. 7, and splashdown about 11:25 a.m. Eastern on Oct. 8.
/story/nasa-crew-12-departure-net-oct7