NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev on Sunday (July 26) closed the hatch on their Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft to start their journey home to Earth, concluding their 241‑day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). With the hatch secured and pre-departure procedures underway, Williams, Kud‑Sverchkov and Mikaev are now moving through the final steps before undocking and beginning their trip back toward a planned landing in Kazakhstan a few hours later. On Saturday (July 25), NASA astronaut Jessica Meir took command of the ISS from Kud-Sverchkov during a ceremony marking the start of Expedition 75.

After eight months aboard the International Space Station for his first mission, NASA astronaut Chris Williams is preparing to return to Earth. During his

The trio's Soyuz spacecraft will undock from the ISS at 3:02 a.m. ET on Sunday (July 26) and land on Earth about 3.5 hours later.