NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts are set to complete their six-month-long mission tonight. They departed the International Space Station (ISS) this afternoon. Crew Dragon Endeavour undocked from the space-facing port of the ISS Harmony module at 2:05 p.m. EST. Then it performed the first 360-degree flyaround the International Space Station (ISS) before returning Crew-2 to Earth. The last time a spacecraft flew around the orbiting laboratory was during the Space Shuttle fleet era over a decade ago. The operational Russian Soyuz has only performed partial flyarounds of the Space Station.
This is what teamwork sounds like.
— NASA (@NASA) November 8, 2021
As @SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour begins its flyaround of the @Space_Station, @Astro_Sabot shares words of farewell for his departing Crew-2 colleagues: pic.twitter.com/nBEAA6aRVa
Undocking confirmed! @SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour is backing away from the @Space_Station and preparing for its first-ever 360° flight around the Station. pic.twitter.com/wACI3C5dke
— NASA (@NASA) November 8, 2021
Dragon flying around the @space_station pic.twitter.com/ay5U5EhyNr
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 8, 2021
Fly around complete. Dragon will now execute four departure burns to move away from the @space_station
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 8, 2021
SpaceX Crew Dragon Return Sequence Schedule:
2:32 p.m. Fly around zenith to aft burn
2:54 p.m. Fly around aft to nadir burn
3:17 p.m. Fly around nadir to forward burn
3:39 p.m. Fly around forward to zenith burn
4:02 p.m. Departure burn 0
4:07 p.m. Departure burn 1
4:55 p.m. Departure burn 2
5:41 p.m. Departure burn 3
9:34 p.m. Trunk jettison
9:39 p.m. Deorbit burn begins
10:33 p.m. Crew Dragon splashdown
Watch Dragon depart the @space_station and return to Earth with Crew-2 astronauts → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK https://t.co/5Pb3CtfIAU
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 8, 2021
Source: SpaceX Live Broadcast