NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub are set to return to Earth next week. Their departure is scheduled for Sept. 23 at 4:37 a.m. EDT, when they will undock the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft from the Prichal module. The crew will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and land in Kazakhstan around 8 a.m. EDT. Dyson will complete her six-month mission, while Kononenko and Chub will return after spending just over a year in orbit.

The crew practiced undocking and descent procedures today, boarding the Soyuz MS-25 as part of their preparation for re-entry. Dyson spent additional time packing personal items and cargo for return, while Kononenko and Chub donned lower body negative pressure suits designed to help the body adapt more quickly to Earth's gravity. They also tested the spacecraft's systems and controls.

Following the return of the Soyuz MS-25 crew, the SpaceX Crew-8 team will prepare for its own journey home. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, are slated to depart in the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft. The crew recently practiced operation procedures aboard Dragon, which is docked at the Harmony module. Dominick, meanwhile, continued maintenance work in the Destiny module, replacing components of an oxygen generator.

The station's newest arrivals, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, have completed initial orientation tasks after arriving on Sept. 11 aboard the Soyuz MS-26. The new crew members have now turned their focus to scientific research and regular maintenance. Pettit worked in the Kibo laboratory, preparing CubeSats for deployment into Earth orbit, where they will conduct technology demonstrations. Ovchinin and Vagner focused on studying the effects of microgravity on their circulatory systems.

NASA Flight Engineers Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been aboard since June 6, spent part of their day reviewing systems aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Wilmore also tested the Sphere Camera-2's capability to capture high-resolution images in the space environment. Meanwhile, Williams carried out routine inspections of smoke detectors, reconfigured a radiation detector, and assisted Dominick with cleaning after his oxygen generator maintenance work.

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