Four astronauts are heading home from the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule “Caliber” after an eight-month mission.

NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov undocked early on September 30. Splashdown is expected at about 1:13pm EDT off Long Beach, California.

The crew spent about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting science experiments across its stay. The crew will be picked up by the recovery ship Shannon.

The return keeps up the steady rhythm of crew rotations to the station. NASA and SpaceX continue to rely on Dragon capsules for astronaut transport as the space station programme moves towards its planned retirement later this decade.

Cardman commanded the mission, with Fincke as pilot, Yui representing Japan’s space agency and Platonov flying for Russia. Their research spanned biology, physics and Earth observation during the long-duration stay. The flight continues the regular crew rotation cadence NASA maintains with SpaceX.