SpaceX & Launches·NASA & Dragon
SpaceX Crew-12 splashes down off Los Angeles, ending 237-day mission
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 splashed down at 10:34 a.m. CT (11:34 a.m. ET) on Thursday, Oct. 8, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles, NASA said. NASA identified the spacecraft as the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom.
Back on Earth
Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew shortly after splashdown, NASA said. Following standard postflight medical screenings, the crew will fly to shore before returning to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the agency said.
Commander Jessica Meir (NASA), pilot Jack Hathaway (NASA) and mission specialists Sophie Adenot (ESA) and Andrey Fedyaev (Roscosmos) launched Feb. 13 and spent 237 days in orbit, traveling more than 100 million miles, according to NASA. Meir completed four spacewalks during the mission, and Adenot completed three, becoming the first French woman to venture outside the station, NASA said.
The crew will discuss the mission at a news conference at 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) Thursday, Oct. 15, at Johnson, NASA said. Adenot will return to Europe and will not attend.
- NASA release 26-083NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Splashes Down, Sets Briefing to Discuss Mission (Oct. 8, 2026)
- NASA Space Station blogNASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon Splashes Down at 11:34 a.m. EDT (Oct. 8, 2026)
- NASACrew-12 Returns to Earth (image article, Oct. 8, 2026)
- NASANASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission page
- SpaceXCrew-12 mission page (splashdown off California, Oct. 8, 8:34 a.m. PT)
- World Brief NowSpaceX Crew-12 leaves the space station; Dragon targets Thursday splashdown off California (Oct. 7, 2026)