An international crew consisting of NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev is set to return to Earth after more than seven months aboard the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft is scheduled to undock early Sunday, July 26, with landing in the Kazakh steppe approximately three and a half hours later. NASA will provide live coverage of all phases of the return, allowing space enthusiasts to witness the homecoming.
International crew concludes 241-day mission
Chris Williams, a NASA flight engineer, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev have spent 241 days in space, completing 3,856 orbits around Earth and traveling over 164 million kilometers. The mission began with the launch of Soyuz MS-28 on November 27, 2025, marking the first spaceflight for Williams and Mikaev, while Kud-Sverchkov concluded his second mission. During their stay, the crew contributed to numerous scientific experiments and ISS maintenance. The change of command from Expedition 74 to Expedition 75 occurred on Friday, July 25, with Kud-Sverchkov handing over command to NASA astronaut Jessica Meir.
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Return details: timelines and live stream
Soyuz MS-28 is set to undock from the ISS at 3:02 a.m. EDT (07:02 GMT) on Sunday, July 26, with landing expected at 6:26 a.m. EDT (10:26 GMT) southeast of the Kazakh city of Dzhezkazgan. NASA will begin live coverage on Friday, July 25, at 9:40 a.m. EDT for the change-of-command ceremony. Coverage resumes Saturday evening at 11:10 p.m. EDT for farewells and hatch closure. On Sunday, undocking coverage starts at 2:30 a.m. EDT, and landing coverage at 5:15 a.m. EDT. Viewers can follow events on NASA TV or Space.com, as reported by the original source. For more on recent NASA activities, check the related article on NASA's exoplanet telescope and OpenAI's autonomous hacker.
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Post-landing procedures and journey home
After touchdown, recovery teams in helicopters will transport the crew to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. From there, Chris Williams will return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, while the Russian cosmonauts head to their training base in Star City, Russia. The return marks a significant moment for U.S.-Russian space cooperation amid terrestrial geopolitical tensions. For technical details on the Soyuz spacecraft, refer to the Soyuz MS-28 Wikipedia page.
