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NASA prepares for return of SpaceX Crew-11: Here’s how to watch livestream of the splashdown
NASA Crew-11 return Livestream: NASA and SpaceX are bringing Crew-11 home early from the ISS due to an undisclosed medical issue. Get the live stream schedule, undocking times, and splashdown details here.
Clockwise from bottom left:
NASA's Mike Fincke, Roscosmos' Oleg Platonov, NASA's Zena Cardman, and JAXA's Kimiya Yui (Photo: X@Space_Station).
NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the return of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, with undocking from the International Space Station (ISS) now planned for no earlier than 5:05 pm EST (3:35 AM) on Wednesday, January 14. The undocking would be subject to favourable weather conditions and will be streamed LIVE on various platforms.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is sending a Dragon capsule to bring them back. This will be the first ever early evacuation from the ISS.
NASA Crew-11 Accelerated Return Schedule
Mission Status
Early Return
Medical issue forces ahead-of-schedule splashdown
Wednesday, Jan 14
3:30 PM EST
Hatch Closing
IST: 2:00 AM (Jan 15)
Wednesday, Jan 14
5:05 PM EST
Undocking from ISS
IST: 3:35 AM (Jan 15)
Thursday, Jan 15
2:51 AM EST
Deorbit Burn
IST: 1:21 PM (Jan 15)
Thursday, Jan 15
3:41 AM EST
Splashdown
IST: 2:11 PM (Jan 15)
Recovery Zone
Pacific Ocean off California Coast
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Medical urgency forced Crew-11 early return
The space agency announced on January 8 that Crew-11 would be brought back to Earth ahead of schedule as mission teams continue to assess a medical issue involving one of the astronauts currently aboard the orbital laboratory. NASA confirmed that the crew member is in stable condition but said it cannot disclose further details due to medical privacy protocols.
Check out the Crew-11 launch video below:
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3:41 a.m. on Thursday, January 15.
Officials are closely tracking weather and sea conditions in the recovery zone. The final decision on the exact splashdown time and location will be taken closer to undocking, based on spacecraft readiness, recovery team preparedness and overall mission conditions.
NASA Medical Emergency Protocol in Action
Mission Status
Medical Issue
Announced January 8, 2026
Crew Status
Stable Condition
Privacy Protocol
Details Withheld
Response Action
Accelerated Return
Compliance
Medical Privacy Laws
Returning Crew Members (4 Astronauts)
Zena Cardman
NASA
Mike Fincke
NASA
Kimiya Yui
JAXA (Japan)
Oleg Platonov
Roscosmos (Russia)
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Earlier, NASA astronaut Fincke handed over the command of Expedition 74 aboard the ISS to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. Watch the Change of Command Ceremony below:
How to watch LIVE coverage of NASA Crew-11’s return to Earth?
NASA will provide live coverage of the return mission across NASA+, Amazon Prime and the agency’s official YouTube channel.
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Here is the broadcast schedule (all times in Eastern Time and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Watch Crew-11 Return LIVE
NASA+
Amazon Prime
YouTube
Complete Broadcast Schedule
3:00 PM EST
Hatch Closure Coverage Begins
Wednesday, Jan 14
4:45 PM EST
Undocking Coverage Begins
Wednesday, Jan 14
5:05 PM EST
Live Undocking
Wednesday, Jan 14
2:15 AM EST
Return Coverage Begins
Thursday, Jan 15
3:41 AM EST
Live Splashdown
Thursday, Jan 15
5:45 AM EST
Post-Splashdown Coverage
Thursday, Jan 15
Audio-only communications available post-undocking between Crew-11, ISS, and flight controllers
Indian Express InfoGenIE
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