Key Takeaways
- Crew-11 will undock from the ISS on Thursday for a medical evacuation, splashing down near California on Friday.
- A replacement Crew-12 mission, led by commander Jessica Meir, is scheduled to launch on Sunday, February 15.
- The handover of command on the ISS has been completed, with cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov now leading Expedition 74.
NASA is preparing for a significant crew rotation at the International Space Station this week. The Crew-11 astronauts will depart on Thursday in a medical evacuation, while their replacements are set to launch on Sunday.
The returning Crew-11 team, which has been conducting experiments on the ISS, will board their SpaceX Dragon capsule to begin the journey home.
Crew-11 Return Details
Mission managers have cleared the return of astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Cardman will command the Dragon spacecraft, with Fincke as pilot.
Favourable weather conditions are expected to support the operation. The crew is scheduled to splash down off the California coast around 1:30 PM IST on Friday.
ISS Leadership Handover
Prior to departure, Mike Fincke transferred command of Expedition 74 to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. Kud-Sverchkov has begun his command tenure, participating in crew collaboration tests and health monitoring studies.
Incoming Crew-12 Mission
To maintain continuous human presence on the ISS, NASA will launch Crew-12 on Sunday. The new team will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The crew includes:
- Commander: NASA astronaut Jessica Meir
- Pilot: NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway
- Mission Specialist: ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot
- Mission Specialist: Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev
This mission represents a second spaceflight for Meir and Fedyaev, while Hathaway and Adenot will be visiting the orbital lab for the first time. The launch is currently targeted for February 15.
