NASA's oldest astronaut returning to Earth after ISS mission

Pettit, Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner are expected to land outside the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with the help of a parachute at 9:20 p.m. EDT Saturday.

The trio will begin the procedure of undocking their Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft from the ISS at 5:57 p.m. EDT.

NASA will stream the procedure on its website.

Because the landing will take place at 6:20 a.m. local time, it will occur on Pettit's 70th birthday. He is the oldest active member of NASA's astronaut core.

Pettit turned over command of the ISS Friday during a ceremony, handing control to Japan Aerospace Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi for the start of Expedition 73.

Last month, the uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft delivered over 4 tons of supplies and cargo to the ISS.

The three men will have orbited the Earth 3,520 times during their 220 days in space by the time they land.

Pettit served as flight engineer aboard the ISS during Expeditions 71 and 72 and has now completed four space flights for a total of 590 days in orbit.

After recovery, the trio will fly by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, before splitting up -- Ovchinin and Vagner will fly on to Star City, Russia, while a NASA plane will take Pettit to Houston.

Astronaut Pettit, 2 cosmonauts undock from the International Space Station
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 19, 2025 - NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner successfully departed the International Space Station for their return voyage to Earth.

The astronaut and cosmonauts departed the ISS at 5:57 p.m. EDT aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft and will take about 27.5 hours to travel from the space station to the landing area on the steppe of Kazakhstan at 9:20 p.m. EDT on Sunday, according to a NASA press release.

Pettit, Ovchinin and Vagner spent 220 days in space and orbited the Earth 3,520 times while traveling 93.3 million miles after their Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft docked at the ISS on Sept. 11 to begin Expedition 72.

While aboard the ISS for Expedition 72, the three crew members explored a variety of space phenomena that could benefit life on and off Earth.

The mission included studying advanced life support systems, genetic sequencing in microgravity, pharmaceutical manufacturing and other matters.

The spaceflight is Pettit's fourth, and he served as the flight engineer for Expeditions 71 and 72 at the ISS, according to NASA.

He has spent a total of 590 days in orbit aboard the ISS.

Ovchinin likewise completed four missions at the ISS and has logged 595 days in space, and Vagner has completed two missions and 416 days in space at the space station.

After re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, the capsule will complete a parachute landing in Kazakhstan on Sunday evening.

A helicopter will carry the three crew members to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where Pettit will board a NASA aircraft for a flight to Houston.

Ovchinin and Vagner will continue their journey to a training base in Star City, Russia.

NASA will stream the MS-26 spacecraft's de-orbit burn, entry and landing starting at 8 p.m. EDT Sunday online at NASA+.