Displacement of Crew Dragon Mission Timelines and Crew Details

Displacement of the Crew Dragon crewed spacecraft, a four‑person mission, is planned with a crew that includes cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The maneuver is scheduled for March 11 and is being coordinated by NASA. The change in timeline follows earlier plans for Crew-5 to depart orbit on March 9, but unfavorable weather at the landing site prompted a postponement that was communicated by mission control. NASA confirmed that the new plan calls for a March 11 departure, with the rollback set for 02:05 UTC, which corresponds to 10:05 Moscow time. If all parts of the plan stay on track, the capsule will touch down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida on Saturday at 21:19 Eastern Time, which is Sunday at 05:19 Moscow time, marking a precise end to the mission’s orbital phase. Kikina will fly alongside American astronauts Nicol Mann and Josh Kassada, and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. This quartet previously reunited with the Crew Dragon at the International Space Station in October 2022. On the International Space Station at the time of this update are cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev, Andrey Fedyaev, and Dmitry Petelin; NASA commander Frank Rubio; American astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg; and United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi, all part of ongoing ISS operations and research programs (NASA). The operability and safety of the Crew Dragon systems, the coordination with ground teams, and the durability of life support and cargo resupply capabilities remain central to this mission, which continues to reinforce international collaboration in human spaceflight (NASA). The station and the visiting crew maintain a busy schedule of experiments, maintenance tasks, and linkages to additional commercial and governmental partners involved in ongoing research across microgravity, Earth observation, and life sciences (NASA). The mission profile emphasizes the capability of commercial spacecraft to support crewed launches and returns, highlighting the increasing role of private industry in extending humanity’s capacity to operate beyond low Earth orbit while maintaining robust safety standards and mission integrity (NASA). The International Space Station program continues to be a focal point for multinational cooperation, scientific experimentation, and the demonstration of enhanced crew rotation schedules that enable more frequent and diverse access to space for researchers and engineers from multiple nations (NASA). The updated timeline and the reaffirmed crew composition reflect the ongoing evaluation of weather, telemetry, and launch-site conditions that influence launch windows, ground operations, and recovery assets, all of which are essential to successful mission outcomes and future planning with international partners (NASA). The astronauts, mission specialists, and support teams remain prepared for a rapid response to any in-flight contingencies, consistent with current NASA procedures and international safety standards for crewed spaceflight (NASA). The Crew Dragon program continues to advance the capabilities required for sustained human presence in low Earth orbit, including reliable reentry, splashdown safety, and post-flight processing to ensure readiness for subsequent missions and potential long-duration commitments (NASA). The overall objective remains to expand human spaceflight accessibility, deepen scientific understanding, and strengthen collaborative ties among spacefaring nations through carefully managed operations, testing, and data sharing that benefit research and technology development on Earth (NASA).