NASA will provide live coverage of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission’s return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), beginning with hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. ET (7:45 a.m. PST) on Monday, March 17.
Crew-9 return timeline and weather assessments
NASA and SpaceX mission managers met on Sunday to review weather and splashdown conditions off the Florida coast. Following favorable forecasts, they have moved up the Crew-9 return to Tuesday evening, March 18. This decision allows ISS crew members to complete their handover duties while avoiding less favorable weather later in the week.
Aboard the Dragon capsule are NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. They are completing a long-duration science expedition and will bring back time-sensitive research to Earth.
Mission managers will continue monitoring conditions, as the capsule’s undocking and splashdown depend on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team preparations, and weather conditions at the designated landing sites. The exact splashdown location will be confirmed closer to re-entry.
How to watch the Crew-9 return live
NASA will provide live coverage of the return events on NASA+ and other platforms. The schedule is as follows (all times Eastern, with Pakistan Standard Time (PST) in parentheses, subject to change based on real-time operations):
Tuesday, March 18
- 12:45 a.m. ET (9:45 a.m. PST) – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+
- 1:05 a.m. ET (10:05 a.m. PST) – Undocking from ISS
Following undocking, NASA will switch to audio-only updates until continuous coverage resumes prior to the deorbit burn.
- 4:45 p.m. ET (1:45 a.m. PST, March 19) – Return coverage begins on NASA+
- 5:11 p.m. ET (2:11 a.m. PST) – Deorbit burn (time approximate)
- 5:57 p.m. ET (2:57 a.m. PST) – Splashdown (time approximate)
After the splashdown, NASA will hold a Return-to-Earth media conference at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 a.m. PST, March 19) on NASA+, featuring:
- Joel Montalbano, Deputy Associate Administrator, NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate
- Steve Stich, Manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program
- Bill Spetch, Operations Integration Manager, NASA International Space Station Program
- Sarah Walker, Director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
Media access and additional information
Media access and additional information
US-based media seeking in-person access must contact NASA’s Johnson Space Center newsroom in Houston no later than 1 p.m. ET (10 p.m. PST) on Tuesday, March 18 at 281-483-5111 or via email at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov.
US and international media interested in joining via phone must register by 3 p.m. ET (12 a.m. PST, March 19). NASA’s media credentialing policy is available online.
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