Transcript

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Re-Entry and Splashdown

From NASA · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 2 h 28 min · 12,708 words · 151 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Re-Entry and Splashdown", an episode of NASA published January 15, 2026 (2 h 28 min, about 12,708 words). It mentions 11 people, works and ideas, including Crew 11, Zena Cardman, NASA, International Space Station, Mike Fincke.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 15:00: International Space Station, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Roscosmos
  2. – 30:00: Crew 11, International Space Station, Zena Cardman, Oleg Platonov
  3. – 45:00: Crew 11, International Space Station
  4. – 1:00:00: Crew 11, Zena Cardman, International Space Station, Mike Fincke
  5. – 1:15:00: Crew 11, International Space Station, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke
  6. – 1:30:00: Crew 11, Zena Cardman
  7. – 1:45:00: Crew 11, Zena Cardman, International Space Station, Mike Fincke
  8. – 2:00:00: Crew 11, International Space Station
  9. – 2:15:00: International Space Station, Crew 11, Roscosmos, Zena Cardman
  10. – 2:28:19: Crew 11, International Space Station, Mike Fincke, Roscosmos

Notable quotes from "NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Re-Entry and Splashdown"

  • NASA announced the following day its decision to return crew 11 to Earth from the International Space Station earlier than originally planned,.
    about NASA · at
  • To recover them from the water, and the safety of those that come too close. So, for the safety of the crew and your own safety, we recommend that you sit back and watch on NASA TV and the SpaceX webcast, and.
    about NASA TV · at
  • With the crew elevon: departure yesterday. We still have three people living and working aboard the International Space Station.
    about Crew 11 · at
  • That's the voice of NASA astronaut and commander of crew 11, Zena Cardman, reporting back that they are working through their procedures and.
    about Zena Cardman · at
  • Spacecraft with NASA astronaut Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Kimia Yui of Jaxa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, who are inside that spacecraft that you see there now, Dragon has autonomously has already. Oh, I.
    about Roscosmos · at
  • And it looks like our first crew member out of the spacecraft is NASA astronaut Mike Fincke.
    about Mike Fincke · at
  • Standing by for our next crew member to exit the spacecraft.
    about Kimiya Yui · at
  • Now, that is Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov also wrapping up his first mission to space.
    about Oleg Platonov · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Zena Cardman — Person · Referenced astronaut; Crew 11 commander · 13 mentions · first at
    Central on-air subject of the coverage as the commander of Crew 11 returning to Earth; multiple callouts cover her background, role, and in-capsule comms during reentry and recovery.
  • Mike Fincke — Person · Referenced astronaut; Crew 11 pilot · 11 mentions · first at
    Key on-air subject as Crew 11 pilot; the broadcast highlights his veteran status, prior missions/spacewalks, and role in commercial crew (Starliner/Dragon).
  • Oleg Platonov — Person · Referenced cosmonaut; Crew 11 mission specialist (Roscosmos) · 9 mentions · first at
    One of the four returning crewmembers; described as a first-time spaceflier and Roscosmos representative, with training/aviation background and role during the return and recovery.
  • Kimiya Yui — Person · Referenced astronaut; Crew 11 mission specialist (JAXA) · 6 mentions
    One of the four returning crewmembers; the broadcast summarizes his JAXA selection, prior ISS mission, test pilot background, and milestone days in space.

Companies & orgs

  • NASA — Company · Business focus · 5 mentions
    Primary organization involved in the Crew 11 mission, coordinating with SpaceX for the return to Earth.
  • Roscosmos — Company · Business focus · 11 mentions · first at
    Russia's space agency, involved in the Crew 11 mission with their cosmonaut.
  • JAXA — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at
    Japan's space agency, one of the international partners involved in the Crew 11 mission.
    Agency, or Jaxa. Astronaut Kamiya Yui is completing his second trip to the space station. He was selected as an astronaut by Jaxa in 2009, and.

Products & tech

  • Falcon 9 — Product · Business focus · 4 mentions
    The rocket used to launch Crew 11 to the International Space Station.
    Fincke is a certified pilot for Boeing Starliner and SpaceX's Dragon, and a copilot and flight engineer on Soyuz plus, a mission specialist on the.
  • NASA TV — Product · Broadcast · 1 mention · first at
    The broadcasting service used to cover the Crew 11 mission's return to Earth.

Places & events

  • Crew 11 — Event · Core topic · 35 mentions · first at
    The mission involving the return of astronauts from the International Space Station to Earth.
  • International Space Station — Place · Setting · 24 mentions · first at
    The orbital laboratory where Crew 11 lived and worked before returning to Earth.
    Cardman and Mike Fincke, Jaxa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Crew 11 launched aboard a Falcon nine rocket to the International Space Station on August 1st, 2025. On January 7th, the agency announced it.

Full transcript with timestamps

Good morning, and thanks for joining our live coverage of the NASA SpaceX crew Elevon: mission as it returns to Earth. I'm here in Mission Control Houston as the flight control team continues to monitor the return of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Jaxa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Crew 11 launched aboard a Falcon nine rocket to the International Space Station on August 1st, 2025. On January 7th, the agency announced it was postponing a planned spacewalk, originally scheduled for January 8th. While teams monitored a medical concern with a crew member living and working aboard the orbital laboratory, that crew member has been in stable condition.

NASA announced the following day its decision to return crew 11 to Earth from the International Space Station earlier than originally planned, in order to properly monitor the crew member's health on the ground. Thanks for joining us today. I'm NASA's Leah Cheshire, and I'm joined by my colleague at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, Kate Tice.

Thanks, Leah. I'm Kate Tice, senior manager of quality systems engineering here at SpaceX. Dragon departed the International Space Station at 5:20 p.m. Eastern time. That was 2:20 p.m. Pacific yesterday. For those of us here in California, they are now on their way to the targeted splashdown site off the coast of San Diego. Splashdown is planned for approximately 12:41 a.m. Pacific, 3:41 a.m. eastern. Upon departing station, Dragon underwent a sequence of departure burns. The crew had a rest period and has since kicked off preparations for reentry, including getting into their spacesuits and successfully performing a leak check. Dragon has a series of steps to complete before returning crew Elevon: home.

First Dragon will maneuver to the correct altitude and jettison its trunk, which is the cylindrical, unpressurized lower part of the spacecraft. The trunk is currently connected to the aft or bottom section of Dragon, where the heat shield is located. In order to expose the heat shield and get the vehicle ready for atmospheric reentry, we will jettison the trunk. From there, the spacecraft will use its forward thrusters to perform a deorbit burn, which will put Dragon on a trajectory to return to Earth. That that deorbit burn uses Draco thrusters on Dragon, primarily the four located on the forward bulkhead, and is executed at the apogee, or the highest point of Dragon's current orbit around Earth. This deorbit burn will alter Dragon's path to ultimately line it up to reenter Earth's atmosphere and splash down off the coast of San Diego.

For these operations, the United States Coast Guard, in coordination with SpaceX and NASA, establishes a safety zone to ensure public safety and for the safety of those involved in the recovery operations.

Dragon SpaceX the team has pulled go for deorbit, entry and landing. Dragon copies go for deorbit, entry and landing.

Great news there from SpaceX core to our commander Zena Cardman. Now back to the recovery at hand. The. There are multiple notices that are issued to mariners in advance around the area and during recovery operations and Coast Guard assets may be deployed to discourage boaters from entering the splashdown zone. We want to stress to the public the need to respect the safety zone, as recovering a spacecraft from the water is a hazardous, hazardous operation. Any other boats interfering with interfering increases risk to the astronauts in the spacecraft, the teams working to recover them from the water, and the safety of those that come too close. So, for the safety of the crew and your own safety, we recommend that you sit back and watch on NASA TV and the SpaceX webcast, and we'll be bringing you the best possible views of our astronauts. Homecoming.

Now, once the crew returns to Earth, they will be flown to a local hospital for continued monitoring and checkouts using additional medical equipment not available aboard the space station. As NASA's Chief Health and Medical Officer J.D. Polk discussed last week, the crew member is stable and we were able to monitor their condition in orbit, but we want to take advantage of resources on Earth to provide the best care possible. NASA maintains relationships with local hospitals to ensure readiness for any post landing needs, and for this return, we are utilizing that option as part of our normal preparedness process. Let's take a minute to meet our returning crew. NASA astronaut Zena Cardman is completing her first spaceflight. She holds a master of Science in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and has experience with NASA research in the Canadian High Arctic.

She has also supported real time station operations and lunar surface exploration planning. Next up is NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, who is now a veteran of four space flights. He has spent four 549 days in space, and that includes nine spacewalks that total 48 hours and 37 minutes spent outside the orbiting lab. Fincke is a certified pilot for Boeing Starliner and SpaceX's Dragon, and a copilot and flight engineer on Soyuz plus, a mission specialist on the space shuttle.

Agency, or Jaxa. Astronaut Kamiya Yui is completing his second trip to the space station. He was selected as an astronaut by Jaxa in 2009, and recently hit a milestone of 300 days in space. Rounding out the crew is Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, who was selected as a cosmonaut in 2018 and is completing his first spaceflight.

With the crew elevon: departure yesterday. We still have three people living and working aboard the International Space Station. That's the crew that arrived on use, Misse 28 and consists of NASA's Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-sverchkov and Sergey Mikheyev. This Soyuz crew is slated to remain on the station until returning to Earth this summer, ahead of the crew elevon: departure from the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke handed command of expedition 74 aboard the orbital complex to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-sverchkov. Crew 12 is currently scheduled to launch as soon as mid-February. And alongside our international and commercial partners, NASA is always evaluating the timeline to to include other launch opportunities, and we'll provide more information when that's available.

As we mentioned earlier, we have a few final steps that Dragon will perform prior to atmospheric reentry the slew or the maneuver to deorbit burn attitude, and then the deorbit burn itself. This deorbit burn is the last time that the forward dracos, which are the four thrusters located on top of the spacecraft just under the nose cone section. It's the last time that they will ignite for this mission. The deorbit burn will place Dragon on a precise trajectory to return to the splashdown zone. As I mentioned earlier, that is off the coast of San Diego. We expect this burn to commence around 11:51 p.m. Pacific time.

It will last about 13 13.5 minutes or so. And this is essentially the transition point that Dragon undergoes while it moves from Earth orbit to reentry. Atmospheric reentry. So it is the final moment in which we are essentially programing Dragon to fly itself back for its precise landing off the coast of San Diego.

So the view that you saw there moments ago, that was SpaceX Mission Control that's located here in Hawthorne, California, just off to my side. That is where our teams monitor Dragon, checking in on all of its systems to help make sure that the crew has a safe journey. Our team there in Mission Control will be following their progress all along the way. You can see operators there on console or on headset, and there are six key positions who are monitoring the health of the vehicle and the crew. The mission director responsible for mission success is in charge of the room. And then there's somebody that you've already heard once this morning, that person you'll hear talking to the astronauts throughout our operations today. You see them there on your screen. That is our Space Corps, which stands for crew, Operations and Resources Engineer. That is the singular voice to the crew.

That person is responsible for translating everything that's going on in Mission Control around them, and speaking and delivering those messages efficiently to the crew on board Dragon. Now, the other positions are focused on specific things like vehicle systems and navigation and control avionics software propulsion, life support and communications with ground segments. And as I mentioned earlier, there will be a number of opportunities for us to hear from the Space Corps. That is the person primarily responsible for communicating to our commander, Xena. And so she will be the person communicating back and forth with our crew here on the ground.

Mission Control Houston, on the right side of your screen is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Currently, in the center of your screen, you see Michael Ellsworth. He is serving as the Capcom. He is very similar to the Corps like you have in Mission Control at Space, dedicated to talk to the crew members to streamline the communication, and that keeps the astronauts from needing multiple conversations on different subjects. Again, that stands for Capsule Communicator, but he is not talking with the Dragon spacecraft. This Capcom is speaking with the astronauts living aboard the International Space Station. Capcom sits right next to the flight director, and tonight we have Allison Bollinger on console.

The flight director gathers info and data from all flight controllers. There you see Allison in the screen. She leads the team through major milestones and approves or declines suggestions based on pre-established flight rules. We have other key members in the room like Adco, who controls the attitude or the orientation of the space station. We also have the Vvo, which is the visiting vehicle officer who monitors and works with external teams sending spacecraft to and from the space station. Of course, we have a flight surgeon who the astronauts get a chance to speak with on a regular schedule on a private conference line. We also have robo, who works with the Canadarm2 and maneuvers it to complete work outside the space station. When astronauts are on a spacewalk, the Canadarm2 is maneuvered by an astronaut within the station. There are plenty of other positions, as you can see, and team members

who monitor the station's solar arrays, the astronauts schedules, and even where every piece of equipment and cargo is stored. Because it takes a tough and competent team to make a mission successful.

As they're on their way home. Let's take a look at the crew 11 mission patch. This patch was designed by the crew and it's color. Celebrate the three nations they represent, and the three stars honor their space agencies. Working together. Two sunbeams formed the number 11, shining on a tiny blue dot which is our home on Earth. A dragon looks on, which is a nod to both the spacecraft and the spirit of exploration, while a red flame wraps around it all, symbolizing the full journey. Launch life in space and today, a safe return home. And if you look closely, you'll see a tribute to their children in the stars, which is a reminder that missions like this inspire the next generation.

Of. If you're just joining us, thank you for watching. You are tuned in to the live coverage of NASA's SpaceX crew 11 mission and their return to Earth. Again, we are expecting their splashdown at approximately 3:41 a.m. eastern time, but the next major milestone we're standing by for is the deorbit burn. That's at 2:51 a.m. eastern time.

Now, before they begin their atmospheric reentry, let's take a moment to get the get to know the crew that we're bringing home. NASA astronaut Zena Cardman is commanding crew 11. She was born in Urbana, Illinois, but calls Williamsburg Virginia her hometown. She's a scientist at heart, with degrees in biology and marine science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before joining NASA, Zena did field work in some of the most extreme environments on Earth, including Antarctica, the Canadian high Arctic, and volcanic terrain in Idaho and Hawaii. She was selected as part of NASA's 2017 astronaut class. Affectionately known as the turtles, Zena was originally assigned to crew nine, but was later reassigned to command crew 11 to support changes in station operations.

And when she's not training for spaceflight, she enjoys rock climbing writing poetry and powerlifting.

Next up is your crew 11 pilot NASA astronaut Michael Fincke. He's a Pennsylvania native and a veteran of three previous spaceflights, spending more than a year of his life in orbit. He first flew to the two space in 2004 as a flight engineer on expedition nine, then returned in 2009 to command expedition 18, where he helped prepare the station for future six person crews. In 2011, he took part in the final flight of Space Shuttle endeavor STS 134, logging three more spacewalks along the way. Fincke has also been a key player in NASA's commercial crew efforts supporting development of the Boeing Starliner. He served as a backup pilot for the Crew Flight Test, helping shape Starliner's avionics and software from the ground up, and he co-hosted a launch broadcast outside of spaceflight, he's a passionate learner into geology, astronomy, reading and languages. He's conversational in both Japanese

and Russian, which is a skill that comes in handy on the International Space Station.

And your mission specialist. One for crew 11 is Kimie, representing the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or Jaxa. A former test pilot and Air Force officer, Yui graduated from Japan's National Defense Academy in 1992 and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Japanese Air Self-Defense force. He was selected as a Jaxa astronaut in 2009, and made his first trip to space in 2015, spending 142 days aboard the International Space Station as part of expeditions 44 and 45. During that mission, he made history as the first Japanese astronaut to capture Jaxa's H-2 Transfer Vehicle, a crucial piece of cargo hardware. He also helped build out a new experimental module inside Kibo, Japan's laboratory on station, and carried.

Out Dragon Space X five minutes to deorbit sequence start. Dragon. All right, that was Space Corps. Just letting the crew know that we're about five minutes away from the initiation of that 13 minute deorbit burn. Now, back to you. He carried out experiments. 21 experiments, in fact, on behalf of Jaxa while on board station. In 2016, he was named chief of Jaxa's astronaut group. And today he's on his way back to space. Or excuse me, is on his way back from space.

And rounding out the crew, we have mission specialist Oleg Platonov, a cosmonaut for Roscosmos, Russia's space agency and a graduate of the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, where he earned a degree in engineering and the rank of lieutenant. Platonov completed his cosmonaut training in 2018 and was certified as a test cosmonaut that same year. His flight to the International Space Station was launched last year. Continuing our chapter in international collaboration. He is married and has one child and crew. Elevon: was his first journey to space. Again, we are standing by for the deorbit burn which will bring crew 11 home again, splashing off the coast of California approximately one hour from now.

That's 3:41 a.m. eastern time. During their time in orbit, crew 11 celebrated 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station. During that time, our unique microgravity laboratory has hosted more than 4000 experiments from over 5000 researchers in more than 110 countries, all to help us build the road to the Moon and Mars and understand our universe while helping humanity on Earth. Crew 11 conducted more than 140 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations during their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, continuing the space station's legacy of groundbreaking science crew, Elevon: worked on experiments to understand bone loss and studied bioprinted human tissues to understand or to ensure the health of astronauts on future missions and improve the quality of life for patients on Earth. They worked on the development of long term storage of cryogenic fluids in

space with Earth, brown medical and industrial applications. The team also tested an inflatable capture bag that aims to remove space debris from orbit, protecting future spacecraft and crews, and could also be used to capture samples during exploration missions and enable mining of small asteroids.

Let's dive into some of these experiments and investigations. The Mabel B study investigates how microgravity affects bone marrow stem cells and their secretion of proteins involved in bone formation and loss. Researchers aim to determine whether blocking a bone loss pathway could help prevent that bone loss. Findings may lead to new strategies for combating bone loss, both in space and on Earth. MVP cell oh seven studies how bioprinted liver tissue with blood vessels matures in microgravity, focusing on cell behavior and tissue development, researchers are examining how space may affect the structure and function of these engineered tissues. Results could help advance space based production of high quality tissues and organs for medical use on Earth, and support astronaut health on future missions. Capture bag demo tests, an inflatable debris capture bag on the space station, assessing its opening,

closing, and ability to stay airtight in microgravity. This technology could be used to remove space debris from orbit, protecting future spacecraft and crew members, and could also be used to capture samples during exploration missions to the Moon and Mars and enable mining of small asteroids.

Next up is Z bot. In C, many spacecraft use cryogenic fuels, which are extremely cold for propulsion. These fuels must be kept extremely cold to stay liquid, but space temperature. Space's temperature fluctuations can cause them to slowly evaporate and escape the tank. This creates fuel efficiency and mission planning, so Z bot in C investigates how specific types of gases affect pressure control in propellant tanks in space. The data collected will help validate models and contribute to the design of more efficient cryogenic fuel storage systems for long duration missions.

Rounding out this list, Bio Nutrients three aims to develop an on demand method for producing essential nutrients in space using bioengineered yeast, helping maintain crew health on long duration missions while reducing launch mass. Building on previous studies, it introduces advanced food safety features in tests, three sample types yogurt, kefir, and a yeast based beverage. The project aims to identify a food safe, genetically engineered organism that remains viable over multiple years to produce a mission relevant nutrient or biomolecule of interest.

If you've just recently tuned in, we are standing by for the call out of the initiation of our deorbit burn. We're expecting that to begin at 11:51 p.m. Pacific time. This is a 13.5 minute long burn that positions Dragon for its atmospheric reentry and splashdown off the coast of San Diego. So, like I mentioned, we are standing by. That should be coming here in just a couple of minutes, as we expect that to initiate at 11:51 p.m. Pacific Time.

As we await that deorbit burn, which we expect to commence momentarily. Just a look at some of the crew elevon: statistics. Their mission will last 167 days by the time they splashdown, with 165 days spent on the space station. That means they traveled 2672 orbits of Earth, which is over 70,856,752 statute miles. We're hearing about 30s until that deorbit burn start. During their time in space, this crew saw a total of five arriving vehicles and the departure of three vehicles.

And right on time at 2:51 a.m. eastern time, we have confirmation that the deorbit burn has begun. This burn is expected to last over 13 minutes. For these return and splashdown operations, the United States Coast Guard, in coordination with SpaceX and NASA, establishes a safety zone to ensure public safety and for the safety of those involved in the recovery operations, as well as the crew aboard the returning spacecraft. Multiple notices are issued to mariners in advance and during recovery operations and Coast Guard assets may be deployed to discourage boaters from entering the splashdown zones.

We want to again stress to all of the public the need to respect this safety zone. Recovering a spacecraft from the water is a hazardous operation, and any other boats interfering increases risk to the astronauts in the capsule. The team is working to recover them from the water and the safety of those that come too close. Now, for the safety of the crew and your own safety, we would love for you to continue joining us on NASA plus and the SpaceX webcast, because you're going to get the best views of our astronauts on their journey home.

Like Leah said, the best views will be coming to you here on our webcast. However, if you are in the Los Angeles area, the San Diego area there in Southern California, I do encourage you to step outside about 12:30 a.m. as you might be able to see the the spacecraft actually reentering on its way there back to the splashdown site. And if you're lucky, you might even hear a sonic boom. Now, as always, NASA and SpaceX jointly select our splashdown location. And for today, the primary recovery site is there off of the coast of San Diego. The selection process works with a lot of different variables, including the space station's orbital trajectory, what landing sites are available and have favorable weather, how much free flight capability has that Dragon has for the trip home?

And of course, the sleep schedule for the returning crew members. We'll start with calculating daily return options based off of the space station's current orbit and Dragon's capabilities to maneuver and line up for reentry. The time from undocked to landing at the primary site can vary from less than six hours to more than 39. For crew elevon: this evening, their journey is going to be about 10.5 hours in total. Of course, getting home the quickest comes with some obvious benefits, but we always have to make sure that the crew is properly rested for all these dynamic operations. And of course, that would prevent us from scheduling 20 plus hour days for them. Trajectory and ballistics experts provide the daily opportunities that would line up with Dragon's with the Dragon, as it's coming back to the landing zones. And then we split them into what we call ascending and descending opportunities.

Okay, so we still have a few minutes left to go here in this deorbit burn. As I mentioned before, this is the transition of the Dragon spacecraft from Earth orbit to atmospheric reentry. This is lining the spacecraft up for its precise splashdown location. They're off the coast of San Diego. So in a couple minutes, in fact, we expect this deorbit burn to conclude at 12:04 a.m. Pacific time. So we will stand by and await to hear the call for nominal burn. When we hear that, that will confirm completion of this deorbit burn for Dragon Endeavor.

Okay. As I mentioned earlier, we will hear primarily the Space Corps or the crew operations and resource engineer. That is the primary role in Mission control that is responsible for communicating with the crew. Elevon: spacecraft. That individual is seated there on the left hand side of your screen. That is SpaceX Hawthorne Mission Control. Also seated there, I believe I see my boss, SpaceX Vice President Bill Gerstenmaier, sitting there in the front row. This group of operators are standing by and monitoring Dragon's progress throughout this burn.

This particular maneuver, that Dragon Endeavor is performing, this deorbit burn is utilizing the four forward Draco thrusters. We say forward because that indicates that basically the language indicating that they're located at the top of the Dragon spacecraft. These four Draco thrusters, this is the last time that they will be utilized for this mission. This deorbit burn will last for a total of about 13.5 minutes. Okay, we still got about six minutes left in this deorbit burn. As we wait for conclusion of the deorbit burn, let's talk about Dragon Endeavor's journey from the space station so far, shortly after its separation, Dragon used its Draco thrusters to move away from the station in a series of carefully choreographed maneuvers or departure burns, and those were done to increase the distance between the spacecraft and the space station. Dragon also executed a phasing burn to lower its orbit and line the

spacecraft up with its landing location. Following the phasing Burns, Dragon is is now completing its deorbit followed, and which will be followed by reentry and splashdown. During the deorbit sequence, several things will happen, including trunk separation, closure of the nose cone, as well as deployment of the drogue and main parachutes, ultimately followed by splashdown.

Again, if you're just joining us, this is the live coverage of NASA's SpaceX crew 11 mission return to Earth. We are currently in the deorbit burn, which started at 1:51 a.m. central time, 2:51 a.m. Eastern Time. It's expected to last approximately 13 minutes, so we still have about four more minutes left of this burn. Once it's complete, Dragon will then proceed to jettison the trunk before it reenters the Earth's atmosphere, exposing the heat shield on the base of the spacecraft and protecting the crew as they make their way toward the splashdown location.

And we are anticipating splashdown at 3:41 a.m. eastern, 2:41 a.m. Central Time off the coast of California.

All right. We have just over a minute remaining in this 13.5 minute burn. This is the deorbit burn. This is the final burn for the forward Draco thrusters. It is placing Dragon on its final trajectory to the splashdown location off the coast of California. We're targeting one of our three Pre-designated locations. This one will be just off the coast of San Diego. Shortly after the burn concludes, we should hear a call-out indicating that the the burn was nominal. This would be good news and letting us know that we are continuing with progression of our milestones. After deorbit burn, we will jettison the trunk and have atmospheric reentry. So there's about 10s left in this burn. So we're going to stand by and listen for that call out.

Dragon SpaceX deorbit burn. Complete performance. Nominal trunk separation initiated.

Dragon copy is nominal. Deorbit burn check. Separation process initiated. Okay. Good words there from SpaceX core. Letting our crew Elevon: team know that the deorbit burn was as expected. Now to prepare for these upcoming events, Dragon is currently doing a couple of things autonomously, such as isolating the thermal control system fluid loops from the radiator. This system is what will help keep the internal temperature of Dragon comfortable during the reentry. Dragon is also initiating separation of the claw mechanism, which will terminate all data power and fluid connections between the spacecraft and the trunk. And that is all done in preparation for trunk separation.

Nominal trunk jettison. Dragon copies. All right, great news there. We heard the call out for successful trunk separation. So that means that telemetry is looking good. The nitrox system is primed for cabin and suit cooling, and the heat shield is exposed and ready for atmospheric entry. Now, since we separated the trunk, we are no longer able to generate any new power. But we don't need to since we're coming on home and Dragon has more than enough battery power already stored. So the next milestone that we have coming up is nose cone closure. We expect that at approximately 12:09 a.m. So here in about three minutes.

The nose cone is at the top of the spacecraft, and it is the structure that protects the docking system as well as the guidance, navigation and control system. We'll be using 12 hooks to lock and secure the nose cone prior to its atmospheric entry.

That's right. We are standing by for nose cone closure, expected just a few minutes from now. And as you can tell, things are picking up a little bit more quickly as we prepare for splashdown. Again, expecting that to come at 2:41 a.m. central time, 3:41 a.m. eastern. So right now Dragon is inhibiting those forward bulkhead Draco thrusters. We just used those to complete the deorbit burn, meaning they will not fire again and ensuring its safe to latch the nose cone for reentry. The vehicle has. We are also anticipating it to initiate the nitrox suit purge.

This helps keep our crew members Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kim Eui and Oleg Platonov cool and comfortable during reentry, which we're expecting in about 20 minutes. At this point, the nose cone we are standing by for that closure to begin protecting that forward hatch for reentry, and the crew will be able to use their screens to monitor the locking of the nose cone, which is done by that set of hooks. Underneath the nose cone is also the hatch that the crew members use to ingress and egress, also known as enter and exit the International Space Station while the spacecraft was docked. Once they splashed down, they'll be using the side hatch to exit the spacecraft and onto the recovery ship.

That side hatch is what they used to enter Dragon back in August, when they launched to the space station.

For those of you that have just recently joined us for crew elevon: splashdown, we have completed the deorbit burn that set Dragon on its precise, precise trajectory back to our splashdown location off the coast of San Diego, California. We've also jettisoned the trunk, and we've just closed the nose cone. So these are the final physical changes for the Dragon spacecraft prior to its atmospheric entry. We expect that entry period to begin about 12:30 a.m. Pacific time. So in about 20 minutes or so. We also expect the crew to receive their final entry briefing. This is where the SpaceX core will communicate any changed details, such as timeline shifts, to the anticipated loss of signal and acquisition of signal, as well as the entry period. We should also find out what the wave height and wind speed is there at the splashdown location. But when I was coming into work this evening, I did see some

stars outside, so hopefully that's a good indication that we've got some smooth seas out there awaiting the crew.

As we are in the process of the hooks and latches driving to secure and close the nose cone. Just a recap of what we've seen so far tonight. The spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station earlier today. This crew crew elevon: spent 165 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, but 167 days in space altogether. If you count the time they have spent getting to and from the space station. At 1:51 a.m. central time, 2:51 a.m. eastern, the spacecraft executed the deorbit burn that was approximately 13 minute long burn, committing the spacecraft to coming home and splashing down off the coast of California. We're anticipating that splashdown in less than 30 minutes from now. 2:41 a.m.

central. After the nose cone closes, we will begin seeing our reentry process. And part of that is a communications blackout. We lose communication with the spacecraft. This is an anticipated and tracked milestone as they go through reentry, and plasma builds up around the spacecraft itself. We do regain that communications shortly thereafter. And following that, we anticipate seeing drogue parachutes deployed. There are two of those, as well as four main parachutes, slowing down the spacecraft to a splashdown time of again 2:41 a.m. central time. So we're just standing by for confirmation of nosecone closure.

Dragon SpaceX nosecone secured for entry. Okay, we heard good news there. The nose cone is closed and secured. Locked in position, ready for atmospheric reentry. Now, as we begin the second half of entry, Dragon has begun to inject cooled nitrox or nitrogen oxygen mixture into the air, being delivered directly into the suits worn by the crew. Again, this is what will allow our crew members to remain comfortable while external temperatures reach up to 3500°F. Meanwhile, the heat shield is pointing forward, essentially leading Dragon to our landing site just off the coast of San Diego, which is important as it will be doing a lot of the work during this reentry. So let's talk a bit more about the heat shield.

Dragon's primary heat shield is comprised of 3.0, which stands for phenolic impregnated carbon ablator. Now, the first gen was actually initially developed by NASA for studying and sampling comets within our solar system. SpaceX partnered with NASA to develop Pica-x, which was the second gen product.

Dragon SpaceX for Entry Briefing report when ready to copy. Ready to copy. Okay, starting with timeline, we're completely on time for the previously briefed timeline. Splashdown prior displays at 0841 Zulu. Comm blackout start 0828. Blackout end 0835. I'll copy.

Copy. We are on time for 0841 splashdown per the timeline. Com blackout start 0828. Com blackout 0835.

That's a good read back. We have a nominal vehicle status. We're tracking an on target arrival to San Diego with pristine weather conditions for splashdown. Recovery team is on site and ready to support.

Dragon copies. Nominal vehicle. Excellent weather and teams are ready to support.

And with that, please report. When tablets are secure, restraints are tightened and visors are down.

Dragon tablet secure, restraints tightened and visors down. SpaceX copies all. Right. So as expected, that was our entry brief to the crew, letting them know that there were actually no updates to the anticipated timeline this morning. So that's great news. Everything is looking well on time with our anticipated timeline. So as we mentioned before, we expect our anticipated loss of signal to occur around 12:28 a.m. Pacific. So in just about eight minutes from now, we will have we anticipate that signal to be regained or anticipate that signal to be acquired again at 12:35 a.m. Pacific time. Now, sometimes we are able to hail the crew a little bit earlier than that. Sometimes we get those communications back and then once again, splashdown at 12:41 a.m. Pacific. So again, if you're in Southern California, head outside and look up. Now let's get back to talking a little bit about the heat shield. As you know, we're

talking about this signal loss. And and that's due to part of what's going on with that heat shield. So SpaceX partnered with NASA to develop the second generation heat shield product. And that was actually used on all of the Dragon one CRS missions that resupply the space station on 20 missions, then fast forwarding to Pica 3.0 that was developed specifically for use on Dragon two crew and cargo, with enhanced structural and thermal properties that optimize the heat shield and drove down cost and mass. So the remainder of Dragon is composed primarily of a SpaceX proprietary ablative material. That's another class of thermal protection, which is lighter weight versus pica and protects the underlying composite structure during the reentry phase, and that's to ensure the structural capabilities of the spacecraft are maintained. Now, while Dragon will experience temperatures over 3500°F peak

during those peak reentry conditions, the characteristics of the thermal protection system, or TPS, as you hear it called, coupled with the environmental control and life support or eclipse that that system pressurized will will be pressurizing the interior, and all of those combined will ensure that the crew will stay cool and comfortable during all phases of reentry through splashdown. Okay.

So just to adjust the glasses. Dragon, SpaceX, can you repeat? Temporarily opening seat three visor to adjust glasses?

Copy adjusting glasses. Your go for that? Okay, so that was important to note there because our commanders had already reported back that all visors were down and in the locked position ready for atmospheric reentry. But one of our crew members had to adjust their glasses. So she did a good job there. And reporting back to SpaceX crew to let them know that one of the crew members had to reopen momentarily.

Again. We copy. Visors are down five minutes until predicted. Com blackout. See you on the other side at 0835.

Copy 0835. Okay, so as we have been saying, everything that Dragon and the crew on board does is carefully choreographed, not just the maneuvers that the spacecraft is executing, but the communications between our crew here on the ground and our crew in space. So we can see all of that being perfectly demonstrated with what's going on now.

Absolutely. And we are standing by for the reentry portion when we expect to lose communications with the spacecraft. But we will regain that communication after they have begun reentering the atmosphere. So once Dragon has reentered the Earth's atmosphere, a series of parachutes will deploy to slow the cruise descent. First will be the two drogue chutes, followed by the four main chutes to guide Dragon to its first contact with Earth since launching in August, Dragon will automatically deploy these parachutes when different pressure and positioning sensors on the spacecraft detect that they are at the right speed and altitude. The spacecraft velocity at drogue deploy is approximately 350mph, and they deploy at about 18,000ft. You're getting a live look inside the cabin right now.

That's crew 11 preparing for their reentry period. Again, having spent 165 days aboard the space station. And when they splashed down, capping a 167 day mission before they can splash down, though a little bit more about those parachutes, the next that we will see deploy will be the main parachutes. There are four of those. They deploy at approximately 119mph, I should say, when the spacecraft is traveling about 119mph, and they deploy at about 65,000ft. And at splashdown, Dragon is traveling approximately 16mph, which is a pretty good deceleration from the about 17,500mph that they were traveling while in Earth orbit with the International Space Station, now, the highest g-load the crew will experience during reentry is approximately 3 to 5 G's, so about 3 to 5 times what we are experiencing right now standing on Earth.

This view is over the shoulder of Commander Zena Cardman and pilot Mike Fincke of the crew 11 spacecraft. In this view, you can see their crew displays. They're able to monitor everything happening with the spacecraft. However, all the next milestones should be completely autonomous and hands off for the crew.

And we can preview the. And we just heard that the crew is in entry attitude, and we are anticipating losing this view and losing our audio communications with the crew in just a minute or so. As they enter this entry interface, they'll be traveling and experiencing heat outside the capsule at approximately 3500°F. And as they are traveling and reentering Earth's atmosphere, a cloud builds up around the capsule that prevents us from communicating back and forth with the crew. We expect to regain communications with them about seven minutes later, but we're still getting great views right now.

I love this view over their shoulders, because you can see what our pilot and commander can see. They're continuing to follow along with Dragon's progress. As Leah mentioned, we have designed the spacecraft to completely to be completely autonomous. Dragon is flying itself so they are able to monitor, along with everything that's going on. I also want to momentarily point out on the bottom of your screen there you have some some graphical interfaces there that represent the speed and the altitude, and it looks like we've lost our views there as that. You know, we are now entering the period of anticipated loss of signal.

This is where, as Leah mentioned, the plasma is beginning to build up on the exterior of the capsule. As we expect, this happens with every spacecraft reentry for Dragon. And so this last just a few minutes. But I want to moment momentarily note that there on the bottom right hand corner of your screen, you can actually see something pretty cool where when one of the Draco thrusters ignite to fire and help steer the spacecraft, you will actually see that they're represented on the the interface there. Now, the the four in the middle, those are represented. Those are those are representing the four forward Draco thrusters. We won't see those ignite at all because those were last utilized in the 13 minute deorbit burn that we completed earlier. Those are located under the nose cone which has been closed, locked and secured.

So everything that you'll be seeing are the the thrusters that are located on the side of our spacecraft. And that is enabling Dragon to fly itself home to its predetermined splashdown site off the coast of San Diego, California. For about a minute and a half. Until we have that atmospheric reentry. Once again, if you're in Southern California, head on outside and look up. There's a good chance that you might be able to actually see Dragon streak across the sky. Look toward about the north and the west. As we mentioned before, we have entered a communications blackout period, which lasts about seven minutes due to the plasma formation on the exterior of the capsule, we've got about five minutes remaining until we believe we can acquire that signal again.

During this time, no vehicle telemetry is received by Mission Control or the recovery team, and no external commanding of the vehicle or voice communication is possible. But like I was saying, Dragon is designed to fly itself. During this reentry, the vehicle will be slowing down from its orbital velocity of about 17,000 or 17,500mph. And it's slowing down. The atmosphere is really doing a lot of the work in conjunction with that heat shield, to dispel that velocity that results in heat, and that is why we have this plasma building up on the exterior of the of the spacecraft. It will slow down to about 350mph, thanks to to really thanks to the heat shield and the atmosphere. And so at that point we'll, we'll deploy the drogue parachutes. But during reentry, the top temperature that Dragon experiences will be about 3500°F. So pretty warm on the outside. But there is cool nitrox air being flowed through

the suits that each crew member is wearing. So we ensure that they remain comfortable during this brief journey through the atmosphere.

And. Now, while we await AOS or acquisition of signal, let's go through a brief recap of today's events. Hatch closure took place took place at 2:29 p.m. Central Time, after all four crew members floated into Dragon for their ride home, they took time to configure the spacecraft cabin, put on their suits and get seated ahead of undocking, which occurred at 4:20 p.m. central Dragon's departure. Burns helped move it out of the keep out sphere and approach ellipsoid, which are both invisible boundaries we monitor around the space station. Since then, we completed the deorbit burn at 151. Oh, and you're getting your first views of reentry.

This is live, and if you're in California, you can go see this with your own eyes. This is crew 11 reentering after 167 days in space. Again, we are in a loss of signal period. This is a tracked period as as the spacecraft reenters Earth's atmosphere, we anticipate regaining signal with crew 11 momentarily. And when the spacecraft reaches an altitude of 18,000ft above Earth, true, two drogue chutes will deploy to slow it down ahead of the four main parachutes. Deploying at 6000ft in altitude. Now, splashdown will be the milestone. We will see after that, which is expected for 2:41 a.m. central time. So again, we're standing by for acquisition of signal and continued communication with crew 11, expecting that just a few minutes from now.

Dragon SpaceX. Com check. Space X Dragon loud and clear. We have you loud and clear. Expect automated chute deployment.

Copy. Automated. Deploy expected. All right. So there we heard that we had confirmation of that acquisition of signal or AOS. It actually came in a minute early. So that's good news there. We heard the Corps inform the crew to expect drogue parachute deployment. That happens when Dragon senses the right speed and altitude. So that's roughly about 350mph and around 18,000ft in altitude. There we have a view from converged.

Expect nominal altitude for drogue chute deploy. Dragon copy is expecting nominal altitude.

So we'll have that drogue deploy in about a minute from now. But we have our first views from the WB 57. This is a high altitude tracking plane that is providing these thermal signatures via infrared. This is really cool to see here as we continue to track Dragon on its way back to planet Earth.

And. So momentarily we expect for visual and. Brace for drogue window. Dragon has Safed the propulsion system as we anticipate drogue deployment any moment now. Drogue parachutes are utilized to stabilize and decelerate the vehicle further prior to deployment of the main parachutes. Drogue should be deploying here in a couple of seconds, and mains will follow in about one minute. There we have visual confirmation of drogue deploy.

Visual two healthy drogues. Kind of a cool shot. Copies. I think we had the recovery vessel in the background there, just momentarily. Main parachutes deploying in about 20s. The main parachutes deploy when the vehicle is about 119mph and around 6000ft. There we can see visual confirmation of deployment of the four.

Main four healthy mains. Main parachutes help decelerate the spacecraft even further, so they deploy around 119mph, and they'll decelerate it down to about 15 16mph. And that will be the the speed in which the the spacecraft is traveling upon splashdown. Once again, we're anticipating splashdown at 12:41 a.m.

Copy 1000. Will now begin to hear crew 11 Commander Zena Cardman call out the altitude from her seat there in Dragon Endeavor. SpaceX's mission control team in Hawthorne continues to report the precise landing coordinates to the recovery team.

Copy 800. Those main parachutes now fully reefed or inflated. We ensure that the parachutes inflate over a few seconds to help reduce the shock to the system.

Meters. Copy 600. All around great views of Dragon Endeavor as it continues its way back to Earth.

Copy 400 crew are braced. Standing by for splashdown. Splashdown of crew 11 after 167 days in space. Dragon and NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Yui of Jaxa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are back on Earth.

Dragon SpaceX we see splashdown. Dragon copy, concur, splashdown and mains are cut. We are in 4.800.

SpaceX copies, and we see the same mains cut. On behalf of SpaceX and NASA, welcome Home Crew 11.

Dragon. It's so good to be home. With deep gratitude to the teams who got us there and back.

Vehicle safety verifications in progress will report back when recovery personnel are en route.

Dragon copies. Again. We have splashdown of NASA's SpaceX crew 11 mission, 167 day mission, 165 of those being spent on board the International Space Station, now splashing down off the coast of California. That splashdown coming right on time at 2:41 a.m. central time, the SpaceX recovery ship and team has been waiting for Dragon splashdown, and they will now begin making their way to the splashdown location. It looks like we even have a couple of visitors around the spacecraft. If you look very closely, you might even see some dolphins.

Again, a return by the books for crew 11. Having splashed down at 2:41 a.m. Central time off the coast of California, we will now begin moving into the recovery process. We'll see the boats begin to approach and inspect the spacecraft by checking for hypergolic and other ordinance checks, they will begin to rig the spacecraft and prepare it to be lifted on that recovery ship. This is a great view of some of those boats that go out and check the spacecraft. They are going to be sniffing it essentially, for these hazardous fuels that can linger once the spacecraft has reentered Earth's atmosphere.

Dragon 400, section three. We are in stable one. SpaceX copies stable one. That's the voice of NASA astronaut and commander of crew 11, Zena Cardman, reporting back that they are working through their procedures and that the capsule is in stable one, which is the position that you see on your screen here, where it is upright in the water. This is just what we were hoping for. And again, it's been a completely nominal and by the books return for the crew today.

This is a live view of crew 11 aboard Dragon from the SpaceX recovery vehicle, or from the SpaceX recovery ship. In this day for the crew started about 10.5 hours ago when they undocked from the International Space Station. SpaceX recovery teams have been given the go to.

Approach, go for recovery personnel to approach. Expect personnel alongside in one minute.

Copy. One minute. Thank you. And you just heard that call out from the core in Hawthorne, California, to the crew aboard Dragon that the SpaceX personnel who have been in the general vicinity of Dragon's anticipated splashdown location now have the go to approach the spacecraft and begin that recovery process.

All right, so as we heard, we are now standing by for recovery of the Dragon Endeavor spacecraft with NASA astronaut Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Kimia Yui of Jaxa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, who are inside that spacecraft that you see there now, Dragon has autonomously has already. Oh, I would also like to point out we've got some folks here approaching the spacecraft now that they have gotten the okay for the approach. They're on some fast boats there. This is the SpaceX recovery team, personally, one of my favorite teams to work at work with here at SpaceX. They're really scrappy crew, and they're going to work really quickly here to get the the the crew 11 team out of the water. And it's always a lot of fun to to watch these operations proceed. Now, Dragon has already autonomously completed several steps to safe itself following splashdown.

For those of you that perhaps just joined us, the return has gone very smoothly so far. As Leah had mentioned, Dragon successfully splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California at 12:41 a.m. Pacific time, 3:41 a.m. Eastern Time, approximately 10.5 hours prior to splashdown, Dragon autonomously undocked from the International Space Station, completed a series of departure burns, jettisoned its trunk section, and performed its final burn, which was the deorbit burn, and that placed itself on a trajectory toward Southern California, specifically off the coast of San Diego. So Dragon successfully successfully reentered the Earth's atmosphere, followed by deployment of its parachutes to slow the spacecraft down to a gentle splashdown. So we're now going to follow the final part of the crew's journey as the Dragon spacecraft is lifted out of the water and placed on the recovery boat. So we see here

the recovery team, beginning to prepare one of the most important steps will be to.

Dragon, SpaceX hypergolic sweeps and unfired ordinance checks. Nominal rigging in progress approximately two five minutes until capsule lift. Standby for PMC. The next call you hear will be from space flight surgeon on Dragon to ground private.

Dragon copies two five minutes until lift. Standing by for PMC. All right. We heard there that the crew will have an opportunity for private medical conference with the flight surgeon. That is standard for all of our crew returns. That will be done on a private channel. Great view here from the drone. This is our first look at the front side of Dragon Endeavor. I love this view because you can see the lights on on the inside. This crew member here is actually on the capsule, beginning to place the rigging required for the lift onto the recovery vessel.

This takes a few minutes to essentially lasso and wrangle the Dragon capsule as it gently bobs there in the water. Not in the picture. There is another fast boat that is recovering the parachutes from the water. Those were automatically cut or released from Dragon upon splashdown, and we retrieve those from the water. This fast boat here is helping to assist the rigging of the required straps and equipment for the spacecraft recovery.

Dragon SpaceX Dragon to ground is no longer privatized. Dragon copy. SpaceX recovery team continues to maneuver around Dragon Endeavor as we continue progress of placing the recovery straps required in order to safely lift the spacecraft out of the water. Something we heard called out earlier prior to the closest approach that we see now was completion of the safety sweeps. That was just indicating that the recovery team performed the required checks to ensure that there weren't any unfired pyros which are used.

To dragon be advised, transitioning forward link com will be unavailable for approximately five minutes.

Earlier, prior to atmospheric reentry, we heard SpaceX core report to the crew during the excuse me during the entry brief that recovery conditions were almost pristine, and he was not joking. It seems that the weather excuse me, the waves are pretty smooth out there. And Leah mentioned earlier that there are some dolphins out to play as well. Perhaps we might be able to get to see those as the recovery vessel gets a little closer to the spacecraft. On your screen. Now, are our operators at SpaceX Mission Control. They continue to monitor Dragon endeavor during these recovery operations, as well as communicate directly to the recovery team. Everything is carefully coordinated within our procedures. And here you see folks that are responsible for individual portions to ensure that everything is executed as planned.

If you've just recently joined us, we had a perfectly nominal reentry of Dragon Endeavor. The crew splashed down exactly on time at 12:41 a.m. Pacific Time off the coast of San Diego. The recovery team has arrived at the splashdown location and are placing the required straps onto the Dragon spacecraft. The crew are safely inside. Nobody is allowed to pass go just yet. We still have to lift the the spacecraft out of the water and onto our recovery vessel.

Dragon. SpaceX forward link transition complete. Com check. We've got you loud and clear.

We have you the same. Hopefully we'll be able to bring those views of the recovery team back. But at this point I can I can share that one member of the recovery team is still oh there we there. We can see our recovery vessel continuing to approach Dragon endeavor there and splashdown location. We still have one recovery team member working to apply the rigging to the capsule. You can see that work ongoing there. As we've seen, this involves climbing on top of the spacecraft itself to attach these hoist rings and connect the lifting lines.

Overall, the progress tonight has been very smooth and very rapid. It depending on the sea state, it can take us a little bit longer. But things are really smooth this evening and the recovery team is very efficient now. It takes us less than an hour to raise Dragon onto the recovery vessel and remove the crew from the spacecraft. After initial medical checkouts, the crew will return to land within four hours by helicopter, so everything continuing to proceed as scheduled and as anticipated. The ring that you see there on the deck of the excuse me, of the recovery vessel, that is what we refer to as the nest. That is where the dragon once lifted out of the water using the hydraulic lift there at the aft end of the recovery vessel, the Dragon spacecraft will be lifted and placed into that nest, and that nest will then be translated forward on the recovery vessel up to where the egress. The

egress bay is located. Yeah. So this is a great view there of the recovery team member that is responsible for placing the hoist straps and the and the rigging required to lift the the Dragon spacecraft out of the water, along with the recovery team members located in the fast boat, helping to provide the necessary light. As this is obviously a nighttime splashdown operation. We've done several of these before, and as you can see there, the sea state is super calm and I'm assuming really nice conditions to to be working in right now.

Over time, we can see the the primary recovery vessel. This is our recovery vessel Shannon named after, of course, Shannon Walker who flew on crew one. She is the first female astronaut to fly in our Dragon spacecraft. So we have this vessel named after her and we can see Shannon slowly but surely getting closer and closer to Dragon Endeavor as it patiently waits there in the in the glass like water. Once all the required straps and rings are in place and the recovery vessel is is in its location and everything is attached, we'll actually see that recovery team member jump off from the capsule and into the water. It's one of my favorite moments of the recovery process.

I think we might. Yep, there they are. The Dolphins are are back to play. We now have a better view of them. I'm sure they're very intrigued by all the lights that are in the area here in the middle of the night in Southern California.

If you've just recently joined us, you're tuning in at a great time. We're in the final phases of the crew Elevon: return to Earth. They had an on time splashdown at 12:41 a.m. Pacific time, 3:41 a.m. Eastern Time. And as you can see, recovery operations are proceeding very well. Everything is everything is going according to plan or as we like to say around here, nominal. And we can see the recovery vessel continues to approach Dragon Endeavor and the recovery team there on the vessel standing by as we await the hoist of the Dragon spacecraft onto the aft end of the vessel. I can say, once we make the final approach here to the the Dragon spacecraft, the hoisting actually happens. It always takes me by surprise just how fast it is, because you can't really see the full size of the hydraulic lift or hoist there at the aft end of the of the recovery vessel, but it's pretty big and pretty

strong. So we're able to lift the spacecraft out of the water. We can see there that the lines, the guidelines are attached, and they're going to line everything up here for the final approach. And ultimately the lift into the the the nest. They're located at the back of the vessel.

So we can see Dragon Endeavor. The gap is closing between Dragon Endeavor and our recovery vessel Shannon. Once again, we had an on time splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California that occurred at 12:41 a.m. Pacific Time. All four crew members of crew 11 are still in our Dragon spacecraft. Moments ago, when the spacecraft was turned the other way, we could actually see.

Dragon SpaceX rigging complete approximately five minutes until capsule lift. Dragon copies five minutes to lift.

All right, good call out there. Just keeping the crew there inside. Dragon endeavor, apprized of the timeline. While there are windows, it is a little hard to see exactly everything that's going on outside of those windows at this point, as there is quite a bit of action as we have been following along. We can see now that the hydraulic lift has been extended into the initial lifting position, and this is the mechanism that will bring Dragon out of the water and onto the nest there at the back of the recovery vessel. We'll also see the recovery team member. I think you can still yeah, you can still see them there on the front. They're actually standing in the the bay where the main parachutes are stored. So quite a large bay. Now they're climbing up to the top. And shortly we'll see them make some final adjustments and a final graceful flying departure from Dragon Endeavor.

Brace for capsule lift. Group briefing. Now, as you can see, the recovery teams are preparing to lower the vessel's hydraulic lift mechanism. And that's going to bring the spacecraft into the on deck translation system, also known as the Nest. Dragon, will remain in the nest during crew extraction and then for the journey back to port. Again. All this coming right after splashdown at 2:41 a.m. Central Time. Right on time and a really excellent recovery, partially thanks to the calm sea states and great weather that is out in the San Diego area right now, but also due to the swift and very well skilled and practiced efforts of the NASA and SpaceX recovery teams.

The spacecraft is now being lifted. It will be set on the nest and centered. It will be oriented so that the side hatch is facing forward for the crew to egress. It will be moved into the hangar underneath that helipad that you see illuminated in green on the top of the ship, and then pulled towards the mezzanine area so that the crew can be helped outside of the hatch. Once open, as SpaceX medical doctor will be the first to check in on Cardman. Thank you and platinum, our crew 11 crew members, see if they're ready for egress or exiting the vehicle. This is a standard procedure for all of our crew returns. This view coming from the recovery vessel as you see Dragon. And at the very bottom that is the nest in which we were discussing. And that's where Dragon will remain now. And all the way back to port.

You can also see facing forward that is Dragon side hatch we were discussing. This is the same hatch they used to enter the spacecraft on launch day in August. And of course this is different from the hatch. You can not see that because it's underneath the nose cone at the very top of the spacecraft. We've been following along all the way through deorbit burn and nose cone closure tonight. That top hatch underneath the nose cone is what the space or what the astronauts and cosmonauts use to enter and exit the International Space Station.

While Dragon was docked. So before we open this side hatch, the SpaceX spacecraft cabin pressure must be equalized with the outside environment. And of course, once that hatch is open, this will be the crew's first breath of fresh air back on Earth since boarding their spacecraft at the start of their journeys back in August. Again, a very by the book return for crew elevon: tonight. Everything nominal as we often use meaning it's normal and and as planned and as expected. Splashdown happening at 2:41 a.m. central. This swift recovery getting them on the boat. It's now 3:10 a.m.

Central. Dragon space spacecraft. The recovery vessel recovery personnel are completing their final checks and standby for translation to the egress platform.

Dragon copies. Now that voice speaking with the astronauts and cosmonaut on the Dragon spacecraft is still coming from the core in space mission Control in Hawthorne, California. These team members are making sure that all thrusters are covered before they begin to maneuver the spacecraft toward that egress platform. We'll be standing by live the entire time.

This is the sixth flight of this spacecraft in all endeavors flown nine NASA astronauts, three visitors to the International Space Station, two Roscosmos cosmonauts, one retired NASA astronaut and one ESA astronaut and an Emirati astronaut from the UAE to and from the International Space Station. Again, this is the sixth mission for this Dragon spacecraft named endeavor, first launching on May 30th, 2020 to the International Space Station. If you remember that date, that was the historic demo two mission for the Commercial Crew program, carrying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.

What you're seeing here are SpaceX team members. They are preparing the vehicle to be moved to that egress platform, making sure everything is safe, that the rigging is properly attached. This is really the final ride on Dragon for these crew. 11 crew members, one short trip to this egress platform, and then they'll begin being assisted out of the spacecraft completely normal procedures for all of our returns.

And this is a live view from Mission Control in Houston Texas the International Space Station flight control room. We have some additional visitors beyond the usual flight controllers and flight directors that staff this room 24 over seven. In the center of your screen, you will see NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaking with team members specifically. Right now, the Spartan flight controller. Isaacman is, of course, an accomplished astronaut himself, having flown on two missions aboard Dragon. So he is familiar with these procedures and what the crew might be experiencing right now. Back on the recovery ship, the teams continue to prepare to move Dragon to that egress platform.

We'll get ready to officially welcome home the crew. 11 astronauts and cosmonauts again. That's NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke. Jaxa astronaut Kim Yaoi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, wrapping up a 167 day in space for these crew members.

Again, if you're just joining us, thanks for tuning in. This is the live mission coverage of NASA's SpaceX crew 11 mission returning from the International Space Station back to Earth. As you can see, this is the Dragon spacecraft, and splashdown occurred at 2:41 a.m. Central Time, right on time. This crew undocked at 4:20 p.m. Central Time, so was about 9.5 hour ride from space back to Earth. They wrapped up 165 days aboard the International Space Station, 167 days in total. For this mission. And we are seeing motion for Dragon. They are pulling it to the egress platform. It's a short distance, and this view coming from that platform itself, this will align it properly with the side hatch, where we will see the astronauts egress or exit the capsule. They will be assisted after being checked on by a medical doctor. And this is standard procedure for all of our returning crews.

We are getting confirmation that the spacecraft hatch is ready to be opened again. This will be the first time.

Hatch opening and egress. It's been an honor flying with you. Standing by for side hatch, and the honor is ours. Thank you so much.

Good words from the core in SpaceX. Mission control to the crew. Again, with the side hatch open, this is the first breath of fresh air that this crew has gotten in 167 days since their launch back in August. That hatch opening coming at 3:19 a.m. central time and with a splashdown occurring at 2:41 a.m. Central Time, a pretty rapid access of the crew.

As previously discussed, the first team member to check on the crew is SpaceX medical doctor. Just giving them a once over, making sure everyone is feeling all right and ready to exit the spacecraft. This is something we do with all crew members who return.

And getting a quick picture inside the capsule is NASA photographer Bill Ingalls. Hey, there's your live view inside Dragon crew Elevon: back on Earth after 167 days in space. Again. Next on the checklist for tonight is crew egress or exit. Team members will be assisting them as they are helped out of the spacecraft. Again. It's been 167 days since they were back on Earth, so our standard procedure will be followed here as well, where they are assisted out of the spacecraft and placed on essentially a gurney, and then they will receive some medical checks aboard the ship before flying back to land. Team members inside the spacecraft from SpaceX's recovery team are helping remove some of those extra items that are in the spacecraft. You just saw the footrests being handed off.

This will just make it easier for us to bring the crew out of the spacecraft. Just over 40 minutes since our crew splashed down off the coast of San Diego again, that coming at 2:41 a.m. central time. We are expecting to see them exiting the spacecraft very soon. That's the chair the crew members will be helped into and moved back for their initial medical checks. Again, standard procedure for any returns on Dragon as well as any of our crew members returning. If you've ever watched crew return on a Soyuz spacecraft, we have a similar process where astronauts are carried from the capsule to waiting chairs, and then carried again to a nearby medical tent.

And again, you're watching live coverage of crew elevon: mission and return. From the International Space Station, having undocked at 4:20 p.m. Central Time on January 14th, just yesterday, and splashing down at 2:41 a.m. Central Time today, January 15th, we are now just awaiting the crew to be helped out of the spacecraft.

And it looks like our first crew member out of the spacecraft is NASA astronaut Mike Fincke. Yes, that's the pilot of the crew 11 mission aboard Dragon Fincke now being taken to those standard medical checks. And since we just saw Mike Fincke, it's worth noting he now has 549 total days in space. That's the fourth all time most days for NASA astronauts.

Standing by for our next crew member to exit the spacecraft. That's NASA astronaut Zena Cardman wrapping up her first mission to space commander of the crew 11 spacecraft. . That's another footrest being handed out of the capsule, and we'll be standing by to see who is next to be brought out of the spacecraft again. You see them being helped onto these stretchers. They are being escorted back to their routine medical checks.

Our next crew member to exit the spacecraft is Jack Jaxa's, astronaut Kim Eui. You just reached the milestone of 300 days in space across two missions. You can see some cheering on the SpaceX recovery ship, and you can probably also hear a little bit of celebration here in Mission Control Houston as well. That's another foot restraint or a footrest, I should say, being brought out of the spacecraft, clearing the way for our final crew member to exit. And that will be Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

And we see the fourth crew member of crew 11 being helped from the vehicle. Now, that is Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov also wrapping up his first mission to space. Now that NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Kim Yi Yui of Jaxa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are safely back home on Earth and getting checked out by the medical teams. We're going to wrap up our live coverage of their return. This crew's journey concludes following a launch on August 1st, 2025, aboard a Falcon nine rocket to the International Space Station.

It was the fourth flight for Fincke, who now has 549 days in space, the second for you with 309 days in space, and the first flight for Cardman and Platonov, who now have 167 days in space. With their mission coming to an end, the crew have began packing up their research and personal items for the return to Earth. Last week, the Soyuz Ms. 28 crew, including NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-sverchkov and Sergey Mikheyev, remain aboard the space station and will continue their mission through the summer. Crew 12 is currently scheduled to launch as soon as mid-February, and will provide more information once that is available.

Great news for crew 11. They are home. The journey back began about began yesterday, about 13 hours ago when they closed the hatch to Dragon and undocked from the International Space Station at 12:29 p.m. Pacific, 3:29 p.m. eastern. During this time, the spacecraft performed a number of maneuvers in preparation for reentry to the Earth's atmosphere, with final splashdown occurring off the coast of San Diego, California, on time at 12:41 a.m. Pacific, 3:41 a.m. eastern, and just a little less than an hour following splashdown, we saw Zena, Mike, Oleg, and Kimmy make their way out of Dragon and into the recovery ships medical facilities, safe and sound.

We just had some great words here in Mission Control from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, and we are still monitoring the crew as they continue their journey back to home. So after the checkouts on the ship, the crew will be flown to a local hospital for continued monitoring and checkouts using additional medical equipment not available aboard the space station. As NASA's Chief Health and Medical Officer J.D. Polk discussed last week, the crew member is stable and we were able to monitor their condition in orbit, but we want to take advantage of resources on Earth to provide the best care possible. NASA maintains relationships with local hospitals to ensure readiness for any post-landing needs, and for this return, we are utilizing that option as part of our normal preparedness process. Afterwards, the crew members will take a NASA plane for the short flight back to Houston. They'll then be

reunited with families to bring an end to this mission. Thank you, as always, for joining us for the coverage of splashdown for crew 11. Excuse me. Remember to follow SpaceX on x NASA online on social media for updates. Pardon me. There we go for updates for the very latest on crew and cargo flights to and from the International Space Station. That's it for us here at SpaceX, Hawthorne, Go Dragon and Go crew 11.

And we'll continue to share the progress of the crew on social media as they travel back home. We also have a post splashdown news conference coming up at 248 2:45 a.m. Pacific time, 5:45 a.m. Eastern Time, where leadership will share the latest updates as we conclude this mission from all of us at NASA in space, it's been an honor. Thanks for joining and Welcome Home Crew 11.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Re-Entry and Splashdown"?

In order: 0:00 International Space Station, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Roscosmos; 15:00 Crew 11, International Space Station, Zena Cardman, Oleg Platonov; 30:00 Crew 11, International Space Station; 45:00 Crew 11, Zena Cardman, International Space Station, Mike Fincke; 1:00:00 Crew 11, International Space Station, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke; 1:15:00 Crew 11, Zena Cardman; 1:30:00 Crew 11, Zena Cardman, International Space Station, Mike Fincke; 1:45:00 Crew 11, International Space Station; 2:00:00 International Space Station, Crew 11, Roscosmos, Zena Cardman; 2:15:00 Crew 11, International Space Station, Mike Fincke, Roscosmos.

What is mentioned in this NASA episode?

11 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Crew 11, Zena Cardman, NASA, International Space Station, Mike Fincke, Oleg Platonov. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Re-Entry and Splashdown"?

The episode runs 2 h 28 min; the transcript is about 12,708 words in 151 timestamped sections.

More from NASA

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.