NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission undocks from ISS for return to Earth

(Left to right) Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot. /CMG

NASA said its SpaceX Crew-12 mission undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday and began its journey back to Earth.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts undocked from the ISS at 8:05 a.m. Eastern Time (1205 GMT) to begin the journey home.

The spacecraft is scheduled to splash down off the coast of California at approximately 11:34 a.m. Thursday, marking the end of the Crew-12 mission's months-long stay in space, according to NASA.

The four-member crew consists of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The mission launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on February 13.