Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio complete the transition from the International Space Station to the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft and close the hatch in preparation for landing on Earth, livestream Web site Roskosmos.
Now the spacecraft’s crew will need to put on their spacesuits and take their places in the cradle. At approximately 13:24 Moscow time, the ship will enter autonomous flight, start its engines to brake and descend from orbit. Landing is expected to take place this afternoon.
The plan has long pointed toward a Wednesday afternoon arrival. The crew of the Soyuz MS-23, three seasoned explorers, is poised for a rapid return to Earth as the craft makes its way across the Kazakhstan steppes.
This marks the culmination of a year-long expedition led by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin alongside NASA astronaut Frank Rubio. It stands as one of the most extended human spaceflight campaigns in recent memory, pushing the boundaries of endurance in microgravity and living conditions aboard a solitary orbital outpost.
Leaders at the space agency have kept a steady watch on the mission timeline, with ground teams coordinating the final checks and flight controllers tracking every meter of the descent. The crew’s move from the ISS to the MS-23 underscores the careful planning required to transition between major space habitats while ensuring safety at every stage of flight.
In another scene of global attention and high-stakes diplomacy, leaders have also been maneuvering their own schedules, with official engagements at major space centers planned in the lead-up to this mission’s arrival. The broader narrative weaves together scientific discovery, international collaboration, and the ongoing human adventure of life beyond Earth.
As the descent begins, the team will prepare for reentry conditions, monitor the spacecraft’s guidance systems, and maintain communication with ground crews on Earth. The landing site in Kazakhstan will host the decisive moment as the MS-23 carries its crew through the final meters of their remarkable journey.
Editors and observers will finally witness the quiet return as the capsule slows, the parachutes deploy in turn, and the capsule settles on the steppe. This closing phase of the mission will bring valuable data about long-duration spaceflight, reentry dynamics, and the readiness of hardware slated for future expeditions.
The mission has not only tested human endurance but also demonstrated the reliability of the Soyuz platform in the evolving fleet of spacecraft that will carry explorers farther into the solar system in the coming years. As teams on the ground review postflight assessments, the crew will soon be reunited with family members and colleagues here on Earth, marking a successful transition from an orbital laboratory to home soil.
Putin, ahead of a scheduled meeting with Kim Jong-un, is expected to visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome as part of ongoing discussions about space cooperation and national space agendas. The day’s events highlight how space exploration continues to intersect with global leadership and strategic priorities on the world stage.