NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Jonny Kim, Crewmates Return
On December 9, 2025, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, is set to return to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft after a remarkable 245-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS). The crew will undock from the station’s Prichal module at 8:41 p.m. EST on December 8 and is expected to land in Kazakhstan at 12:04 a.m. EST on December 9. During their time in space, they will have orbited Earth nearly 3,920 times and traveled approximately 104 million miles, marking significant milestones in their respective careers. This mission is particularly notable as it represents the first journey to the ISS for both Kim and Zubritsky, while Ryzhikov completes his third spaceflight.
As the crew prepares for their return, NASA will provide live coverage of the events, including a change of command ceremony on December 7, where Ryzhikov will officially pass command of the ISS to NASA astronaut Mike Fincke for Expedition 74. Following their landing, the astronauts will be transported by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where they will part ways, with Kim heading back to Houston and Ryzhikov and Zubritsky returning to their training base in Russia. The ISS has been a hub for scientific research and international collaboration for over 25 years, facilitating advancements that are unattainable on Earth. As NASA shifts its focus towards deep space missions, including the Artemis program aimed at lunar exploration and future Mars missions, the contributions made aboard the ISS remain crucial for understanding the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and fostering a thriving low Earth orbit economy.
For those interested in following the mission, NASA will stream the undocking and landing events across various platforms, including NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube, allowing audiences worldwide to witness this historic return.
The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft is seen as it lands on April 20, 2025 (April 19 Eastern time) in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, with the Expedition 71/72 crew aboard.
NASA/Bill Ingalls
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, is preparing to depart the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft and return to Earth.
Kim, Ryzhikov, and Zubritsky will undock from the station’s Prichal module at 8:41 p.m. EST on Monday, Dec. 8, headed for a parachute-assisted landing at 12:04 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9 (10:04 a.m. local time in Kazakhstan), on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the city of Dzhezkazgan.
Watch NASA’s live coverage of the crew’s return on
NASA+
,
Amazon Prime
, and the agency’s
YouTube
channel. Learn how to
stream NASA content
through a variety of online platforms, including social media.
The space station change of command ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, on
NASA+
and the agency’s
YouTube
channel. Rzyhikov will hand over station command to NASA astronaut Mike Fincke for Expedition 74, which begins at the time of Soyuz MS-27 undocking.
Kim and his crewmates are completing a 245-day mission aboard the station. At the conclusion of their mission, they will have orbited Earth 3,920 times and traveled nearly 104 million miles. This was the first flight for Kim and Zubritsky to the orbiting laboratory, while Ryzhikov is ending his third trip to space.
After landing, the three crew members will fly by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where recovery teams are based. Kim will board a NASA aircraft and return to Houston, while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky will depart for their training base in Star City, Russia.
NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Sunday, Dec. 7:
10:30 a.m. – Expedition 73/74 change of command ceremony begins on
NASA+
Amazon Prime
, and
YouTube
.
Monday, Dec. 8:
4:45 p.m. – Farewells and hatch closing coverage begins on
NASA+
,
Amazon Prime
, and
YouTube
.
5:10 p.m. – Hatch closing
8:15 p.m. – Undocking coverage beings on
NASA+
,
Amazon Prime
, and
YouTube
.
8:41 p.m. – Undocking
10:30 p.m. – Deorbit and landing coverage begins on
NASA+
,
Amazon Prime
, and
YouTube
.
11:10 p.m. – Deorbit burn
Tuesday, Dec. 9:
12:04 a.m. – Landing
For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies concentrate on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust
low Earth orbit economy
, NASA is focusing its resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis campaign in preparation for future human missions to Mars.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-
Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
/
james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
/
joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
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Details
Last Updated
Dec 04, 2025
Editor
Elizabeth Shaw
Location
NASA Headquarters
Related Terms
Missions
Expedition 73
Expedition 74
International Space Station (ISS)
ISS Research
