On Sunday, 14 July, before the scheduled undocking of the Dragon capsule “Grace”, an official farewell ceremony for the Ax-4 mission crew will be held on board the International Space Station. Crew members — Peggy Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla, Tibor Kapu, and Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski — will meet with members of Expedition 73 to express gratitude for their cooperation and symbolically handover the watch.

According to Axiom Space:

“The Ax-4 astronauts will join Expedition 73 crew members during a live-streamed farewell ceremony aboard the ISS before their scheduled departure to Earth.”

During the ceremony, which is expected to last around 20–30 minutes, brief speeches by the mission commander, crew members, and a representative of the ISS are planned. The crew will share their reflections on their mission, research, and experiences gained in orbit.

Watch Live

The ceremony will be streamed live by NASA TV and Axiom Space, and we will also provide the stream on our website.

We encourage you to witness this unique moment — it is the last opportunity to see the Ax-4 crew in full on board the ISS before their return to Earth.

What’s Next?

After the ceremony, the crew will close the hatches of the Dragon capsule, conduct leak tests, and prepare for the undocking, planned for Monday, 14 July, at 13:05 Polish time (7:05 ET).

The return to Earth will take approximately 20 hours, with the capsule's splashdown expected on Tuesday, off the coast of California.