NASA and its international partners are set to receive important scientific samples and hardware as a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft leaves the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, December 16, returning to Earth.
NASA will provide live coverage of the Dragon spacecraft’s undocking and departure starting at 10:50 a.m. EST on NASA+. The Dragon is scheduled to undock from the space station’s Harmony module at 11:05 a.m. EST. After undocking, the spacecraft will fire its thrusters to move safely away from the station under the control of SpaceX ground teams.
Return to Earth and Splashdown
Following its departure, the Dragon spacecraft will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down off the coast of Florida. NASA will not stream the splashdown live but will share updates on its space station blog.
The spacecraft arrived at the ISS on November 5 after launching on November 4 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission, known as SpaceX’s 31st commercial resupply services flight, brought nearly 6,000 pounds of crew supplies, science experiments, and equipment to the space station.
What’s Coming Back to Earth?
The Dragon will bring back thousands of pounds of scientific samples and experiments that took advantage of the station’s microgravity environment. Splashing down in Florida allows quick transport of these samples to NASA’s Space Systems Processing Facility for detailed study, minimizing their exposure to Earth’s gravity.
Some key experiments returning include:
GISMOS (Genes in Space Molecular Operations and Sequencing), which studied microbial DNA in the station’s water system—giving the first detailed look at microbes living there.
SpaceTED (Space Tissue Equivalent Dosimeter), a student-developed device that monitored crew radiation exposure and the space radiation environment for 11 months—far longer than originally planned.
Two specimens printed with the European Space Agency’s Metal 3D Printer will also return for analysis. Scientists will compare these microgravity-printed metal parts to ones made on Earth to understand how 3D metal printing works in space.
Other experiments include the International Space Art and Poetry Contest, where student-created artwork was printed and photographed on the station and will be sent back to the creators. Also, Plasmonic Bubbles researchers will study videos of bubble behavior in microgravity, helping improve health care and environmental technologies.
The Importance of the International Space Station
For over 20 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the ISS, advancing scientific knowledge that cannot be achieved on Earth. The station helps NASA learn how to live and work safely in space and supports growing commercial activities in low Earth orbit.
As private companies develop human space transportation and new space destinations, NASA is focusing more on deep space missions like Artemis. This program aims to send astronauts to the Moon and prepare for future human exploration of Mars.
This SpaceX Dragon departure marks another important milestone in NASA’s ongoing work in space, bringing home valuable research that will benefit science and human spaceflight for years to come.
