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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 targets splashdown off Florida coast; here’s when to watch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It’s going to be a busy week for the Space Coast.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is targeting a return to Earth on Monday, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

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The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 2:05 p.m. Monday to begin the journey home.

NASA said mission teams decided to adjust the Sunday undocking, following a planned weather review showing high winds unfavorable for recovery near the splashdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

READ: NASA, SpaceX plan Crew-2′s return to Earth on Monday as Crew-3 readies for upcoming launch

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Aki Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will complete 199 days in space at the conclusion of their mission, NASA said.

The spacecraft also will return to Earth with about 530 pounds of hardware and scientific investigations.

Officials said Endeavour will undock autonomously and perform a fly-around maneuver to photograph the exterior of the International Space Station.

READ: Court ruling allows SpaceX to develop lunar lander for NASA

Once the maneuver is completed, the Crew Dragon spacecraft will aim for a splashdown at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, according to NASA.

The astronauts are expected to splash down no earlier than 10:33 p.m. Monday.

WATCH: NASA makes final preparations for rocket heading around the moon in February

Channel 9 will livestream the undocking and the splashdown. Click here to watch when it happens.

SpaceX and NASA are also preparing for their Crew-3 mission.

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Katlyn Brieskorn, WFTV.com

Katlyn Brieskorn is a Digital Assignment Editor at WFTV. She joined Channel 9 in July 2019.

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