NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Chris Williams and Crewmates Following 241-Day Space Station Mission

WASHINGTON — NASA has finalized its media and broadcast coverage for the upcoming return of astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, who are concluding an extensive 241-day science mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The trio is scheduled to undock their Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft from the station’s Rassvet module at 3:02 a.m. EDT on Sunday, July 26. Following a deorbit burn and atmospheric reentry, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted landing at 6:26 a.m. EDT (3:26 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on the remote steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan.

This homecoming marks the end of a highly productive long-duration expedition that contributed to hundreds of scientific experiments. For Williams, a member of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class, this flight represents his first journey into orbit, where he conducted critical research on human physiology, plant biology, and physical sciences in microgravity.

"The data gathered by Chris and his crewmates during these 241 days will be vital for our preparations for longer-duration missions to the Moon under Artemis," said Joel Montalbano, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for space operations. "Their efforts on the orbiting laboratory continue to pave the way for humanity's deeper journey into the solar system."

NASA's live coverage of the return activities will begin on the evening of Saturday, July 25, with the crew’s farewells and the closing of the Soyuz hatch. The broadcast will resume early Sunday morning to capture the undocking and landing sequences. Following touchdown, joint teams of NASA and Roscosmos support personnel will deploy to the landing site to assist the crew out of the Soyuz capsule. After undergoing initial medical checks, Williams will be flown back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, while Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev return to their training base in Star City, Russia.

Key Return Timeline (All times EDT):

• Saturday, July 25
• 11:15 p.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins (hatch closure scheduled for 11:35 p.m.)
• Sunday, July 26
• 2:30 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins (undocking scheduled for 3:02 a.m.)
• 5:15 a.m. – Deorbit burn and landing coverage begins (landing scheduled for 6:26 a.m.)

The entire return sequence will stream live on NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s official website.