CREW-4 RETURNS TO EARTH, Oct 14, 2022, FL, 4:50 pm ET

Update, October 13, 2:45 pm ET:  Weather could change this again, but right now NASA plans undocking at 11:35 am ET tomorrow, October 14, and splashdown about 5 hours later at 4:50 pm ET. But stay tuned.

Update, October 13, 9:45 am ET: The Crew-4 return has been delayed again due to weather. Stay tuned for information on when they will try again.

Update, October 12, 3:00 pm ET: The weather is not cooperating and undocking has been delayed until tomorrow, October 13, at 10:05 am ET.

The return trajectory apparently is more favorable since they will land just two minutes later than they would have under the original plan, October 13 at 5:43 pm ET, just 5 1/2 hours after undocking.

Weather could still force another change in plans. Stay tuned, but for now the schedule of events is:

Thursday, Oct. 13
8 a.m. – Coverage of the hatch closing on NASA’s SpaceX Crew Dragon “Freedom” at the International Space Station for the Crew-4 crew
9:45 a.m. – Coverage of the undocking of NASA’s SpaceX Crew Dragon “Freedom” from the International Space Station with the Crew-4 crew (undocking scheduled at 10:05 a.m. EDT; begins continuous coverage through splashdown at 5:43 p.m. EDT)
5:43 p.m. – Splashdown of NASA’s SpaceX Crew Dragon “Freedom” off the coast of Florida
7 p.m. – Crew-4 return to Earth media teleconference call

Original Entry: Crew-4 is scheduled to return to Earth on October 13, 2022 splashing down off the coast of Florida at 5:41 5:43 pm ET.

Crew-4 is composed of:

• Kjell Lindgren (NASA)
• Bob Hines (NASA)
• Jessica Watkins (NASA)
• Samantha Cristoforetti (ESA)

NASA notes that: “Weather remains a watch item as teams track the progress of a cold front forecast to pass over the splashdown areas off the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. Mission teams will continue to monitor splashdown and recovery conditions with another weather review at six hours prior to undocking. Additional undocking opportunities also are available Thursday, Oct. 13.”

The full schedule of the crew’s departure from the ISS, splashdown, and post-splashdown media telecon is as follows:

Wednesday, Oct. 12

10:05 a.m. – Crew-4 farewell remarks and change of command ceremony aboard the space station.

5 p.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins for 5:20 p.m. hatch closing

6:45 p.m. – Undocking coverage begins for 7:05 p.m. undocking with a Thursday splashdown

Thursday, Oct. 13

5:41 5:43 p.m. – Splashdown off the coast of Florida

7 p.m. – Return to Earth media teleconference call from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with:

• Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
• Joel Montalbano, manger, International Space Station, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
• SpaceX Representative