After 199 days in orbit, Expedition 43 begins its descent to Earth

Space · Published 8 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: After nearly seven months aboard the International Space Station, three astronauts are trading microgravity for Earth's pull. The Soyuz TMA-15M has undocked, beginning a precise, high-stakes sequence of burns and separations to ensure a safe return to the Kazakh steppe.

The conclusion of Expedition 43 on June 11, 2015, marked a seamless transition in orbital operations. At 6:20 a.m. EDT, the crew—comprising NASA’s Terry Virts, ESA’s Samantha Cristoforetti, and Roscosmos’s Anton Shkaplerov—undocked from the International Space Station. Shkaplerov, acting as the Soyuz commander, managed the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft during the departure sequence, which included a separation burn to increase the distance between the crew and the station. The crew's departure follows a period of intense scientific activity. This transition allows for the next group of explorers to take over.

The descent process is a highly choreographed series of maneuvers. Following the undocking, the spacecraft was scheduled to perform a critical deorbit burn lasting 4 minutes and 35 seconds at 8:51 a.m. As the vehicle entered the atmosphere, it underwent several rapid transitions: module separation occurred at an altitude of 87 miles, followed by atmospheric entry at 62 miles. By the time the crew reached an altitude of 6.5 miles, the command was issued to open the parachute. The landing was targeted for a location southeast of Dzhezkazgan. This specific region in Kazakhstan provides a secure site for the spacecraft's arrival.

While the Expedition 43 crew returned to Earth, the station remained active. Command of the station passed from Terry Virts to Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency. The incoming Expedition 44 crew, which includes Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko, continued research and maintenance, awaiting the arrival of additional members like NASA’s Kjell Lindgren in late July. This rotation ensures the continuous human presence required for complex orbital science and station upkeep. The next mission group will include Kimiya Yui from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. This ensures diverse international cooperation remains central to the station's ongoing operations.

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