NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Jonny Kim, Crewmates Return
On December 8, 2025, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, is set to conclude their 245-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft. The crew will undock from the station’s Prichal module at 8:41 p.m. EST, embarking on a journey that will culminate in a parachute-assisted landing in Kazakhstan at 12:04 a.m. EST on December 9. This mission marks a significant milestone, as the astronauts will have orbited Earth nearly 3,920 times and traveled an astounding 104 million miles by the end of their stay. Notably, this mission is the first spaceflight for both Kim and Zubritsky, while Ryzhikov concludes his third journey into space.
In conjunction with their return, a change of command ceremony will take place on December 7, where Ryzhikov will officially hand over command of the ISS to NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, who will lead Expedition 74. The live coverage of the crew’s departure and the change of command will be accessible through multiple platforms, including NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube, allowing space enthusiasts to witness this momentous occasion. Following their landing, the crew will be transported by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where recovery teams are stationed. Kim will then return to Houston via a NASA aircraft, while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky will head to their training base in Star City, Russia.
The ISS has been continuously inhabited for over 25 years, serving as a vital platform for scientific research and technological advancements that cannot be replicated on Earth. As commercial spaceflight capabilities expand, NASA is shifting its focus toward deep space exploration, particularly through its Artemis program, which aims to prepare for future human missions to Mars. The ongoing research and operations aboard the ISS play a crucial role in understanding the complexities of long-duration spaceflight, paving the way for future endeavors beyond low Earth orbit. For more details on the ISS, including its research initiatives, interested readers can visit NASA’s official website.
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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Last Updated
Dec 04, 2025
Editor
Elizabeth Shaw
Location
NASA Headquarters
Related Terms
Missions
Expedition 73
Expedition 74
International Space Station (ISS)
ISS Research
