NASA delays Crew-12 space station departure to 7 October due to Pacific weather conditions

Weather delays undocking from space station

NASA announced on Saturday that the return to Earth of the Crew-12 mission from the International Space Station has been postponed to Wednesday, 7 October at the earliest. The American space agency had initially scheduled the spacecraft to undock as early as Monday. Unfavorable weather conditions and rough sea states in the planned splashdown area off the coast of California forced flight controllers to adjust the schedule. The agency confirmed the decision in an official release following a detailed assessment of maritime and meteorological conditions in the recovery zone.

NASA described the reason for the revised undocking window in a statement:

following a review of weather conditions and sea state in the splashdown zone off the California coast, at the earliest 1:05 am EDT (7:05 am in France), Wednesday 7 October, for the undocking of the Crew-12 mission.

Landing schedule and transit to Houston

The Crew-12 mission includes French astronaut Sophie Adenot, American astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. All four crew members have spent nearly eight months in orbit after launching toward the orbiting laboratory on 13 February 2026. If the revised flight plan remains in place, the spacecraft will perform a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, 8 October at approximately 15:25 GMT, corresponding to 17:25 in France.

After recovery teams retrieve the crew from the Pacific Ocean, the four astronauts will be flown directly to NASA headquarters operations in Houston, Texas. Following their arrival in the United States, Adenot will transfer to the care of the European Space Agency. The agency will transport her to Cologne, Germany, where she will undergo standard post-flight medical assessments and reunite with her family.

European spaceflight endurance record

Adenot, who was born in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire in the Nièvre department of France, celebrated her 44th birthday aboard the orbital complex in July. Her stay on the station was extended beyond its original timeframe, leading to a new duration milestone for European human spaceflight. On 3 September 2026, Adenot became the European astronaut, across both men and women, to complete the longest space mission, crossing the threshold of 230 days in orbit.

The extended mission has kept the French astronaut in microgravity for nearly eight months. Prior to the announcement of the weather delay, Adenot noted that she was looking forward to seeing her loved ones, taking a shower on Earth, and resuming outdoor water sports, plans that have now been deferred by several days.

Handover to incoming relief crew

Before their departure from the station, the Crew-12 members will officially transfer their operational responsibilities on Sunday, 4 October 2026. A relief crew arrived at the International Space Station on Friday, 2 October 2026 to take over management of the outpost. This standard handover procedure allows the incoming crew to assume control of ongoing scientific research, habitat systems, and station maintenance.

The Sunday handover marks the conclusion of primary operational duties for Adenot, Meir, Hathaway, and Fedyaev. Following the transfer, the four astronauts will focus on final spacecraft preparations while waiting for weather conditions in the Pacific landing corridor to clear before their descent.