NASA’s Crew 7 targets 12 March to return to Earth

NASA’s Crew 7 astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) are preparing to return to Earth after a six-month stay in the orbiting lab, the US space agency has said.

In a statement, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) said the four crew members will return to Earth on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is expected to undock from the space station at 11.05 am on 11 March. Depending on weather conditions, the vehicle will splashdown off the Florida coast as early as 5.35 am on 12 March.

The Crew 7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, launched to the ISS on 26 August last year. With the recent arrival of four members of the Crew 8 mission, the ISS is currently housing 11 astronauts from the US, Europe, Russia and Japan.

Crew 7 are “preparing to wrap up their nearly six-month science mission, and bring home time-sensitive research to Earth,” NASA said.

During their six months on the ISS, Crew 7 conducted science experiments and technology demonstrations to benefit people on Earth and prepare humans for future space missions.

Their scientific milestones include a study on the impact of spaceflight on immune function; to eliminate contaminants from wastewater; growing food on station.

Outside the station, the team deployed two CubeSats that are low-cost alternative to traditional satellites.