NASA, SpaceX Crew-11 leave ISS for Earth: live video

Four astronauts with SpaceX Crew-11 are set to undock from the International Space Station to make their return to Earth. This planned departure comes after NASA announced that it postponed a spacewalk due to a crew member's medical situation. 

What we know:

The early departure is planned for Jan. 14 at 5:05 p.m., EST, pending weather conditions, NASA said. 

The Dragon Endeavor spacecraft will leave the International Space Station with Pilot Mike Fincke, Commander Zena Cardman, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

The crew spent five months onboard the space station. 

This splits up Expedition 74, which leaves three crew members on the ISS. 

After unlocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port, Crew-11 will then complete a parachute-assisted landing inside Dragon to a splashdown off the coast of California less than 12 hours later, NASA said. Dragon and its crew will be retrieved by NASA and SpaceX from the Pacific Ocean and return them to California before the astronauts fly back to their home agencies.

Where to watch the undocking?

FOX 35 will live stream the unlocking on www.fox35orlando.com/watch. 

Viewers can also watch NASA's live coverage on NASA+, Amazon Prime and the agency's YouTube channel. 

The backstory:

NASA announced on Jan. 8 that four astronauts with SpaceX Crew-11 will return home before their expected departure after the agency decided to postpone its first spacewalk of the year outside the ISS. This decision came after NASA reported that one of the crew members experienced a "medical situation" working aboard the orbital laboratory. The astronaut – whose name has not been released for their privacy – is in stable condition. 

Spacewalk 94 was set to start on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 8 a.m. 

This spacewalk was planned to have two NASA astronauts – Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman – install a solar array to provide more power to the orbital laboratory, including critical support of its safe and controlled de-orbit, NASA said. 

During a Jan. 8 press conference, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the crew has completed the majority of their mission objectives. However, the astronauts are returning earlier than their original planned departure due to one of the crew members needing care for a "medical situation," NASA said. 

NASA's plans for undocking

Wednesday, Jan. 14 

3 p.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins

3:30 p.m. – Hatch closing 

4:45 p.m. – Undocking coverage begins

5 p.m. – Undocking 

Thursday, Jan. 15 

2:15 a.m. – Return coverage begins

2:50 a.m. – Deorbit burn 

3:40 a.m. – Splashdown 

5:45 a.m. – Return to Earth media news conference

Who are the four astronauts returning home? 

Returning to Earth are four astronauts with SpaceX's Crew-11. 

• Pilot Mike Fincke, NASA, was selected by NASA in 1996 and had served in multiple roles including, International Space Station capsule communicator (CAPCOM), Crew Procedures Team Lead, and member of the Crew Test Support Team in Russia, NASA said. Fincke was set to conduct the ISS's first spacewalk of 2026 – which would have been his tenth spacewalk – tying him as having the most spacewalks. Fincke has conducted nine spacewalks with a total of 48 hours and 37 minutes of EVA time.
• Commander Zena Cardman, NASA, joined NASA in 2017 – bringing her experience of geobiology and geochemical cycling in subsurface environments, NASA said. Before career as an astronaut, Cardman worked with NASA-supported field tests, including Pavilion Lake and BASALT, NASA said.
• Astronaut Kimiya Yui, JAXA, was selected by JAXA in 2009 and worked as a flight engineer onboard the ISS. He previously controlled robotics in the capture of "KOUNOTORI5 (HTV5)" and conducted Japanese and international scientific and medical experiments, JAXA said.
• Cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, Roscosmos, was selected in 2019 and served as a mission specialist for Crew-11 – his first spaceflight. Onboard the ISS, he worked to study Earth from space, including the solar system and outer reaches. Platonov is a former pilot and engineer from the Krasnodar Air Force Academy.

A change of command

In a changing of command ceremony on Jan. 12, Mike Fincke handed over command of the ISS to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. 

Who is staying on the ISS? 

What's next:

Three crew members will stay onboard the orbital outpost, including Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, NASA's Chris Williams and Roscosmos' Sergey Mikaev. They will await the arrival of NASA's SpaceX Crew-12, which plans to launch to the space station in February, NASA said. 

Crew-12 – consisting of NASA's Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos – will join Expedition 74 for a nine-month-long space research mission, NASA said. 

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