Mission accomplished, AstroSamantha returns to Earth: departure from the ISS tonight

's mission

on the International Space Station (ISS), which she assumed command on last September 28, is about to end, becoming the first European woman to hold this position.

The departure of the

with the Americans Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren and Jessica Watkins on board, is scheduled for the night, at 1: 05 Italian on 13 October.

This was announced by NASA, specifying that the ditching is scheduled at 23:41 Italian on 13 October. 

NASA

The Crew-4 crew before launch from Cape Canaveral

For the American agency, the only unknown is the weather conditions at the time of ditching, in the area between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

The situation is constantly being monitored: a cold front is now expected to pass through the area.

An update is expected during the day, six hours from the scheduled time for the detachment of the shuttle from the ISS.

In the event of adverse weather conditions, the American space agency has announced that there will also be other opportunities for departure on 13 October.

ceremony between Cristoforetti and the new commander of the ISS, the Russian Sergey Prokopyev,

is also scheduled at 16:05 today .

The live broadcast of the handover and undocking

During yesterday's press conference, organized by NASA, the ESA astronaut said: "I hope to see my family, friends and be able to take a nice shower soon."

The approximately six months of her mission were exciting, but she missed the Earth: "On my return to Earth I would like to enjoy nature and natural environments".

A few hours after the end of the mission, AstroSamantha entrusts his feelings to a tweet: “Looking up I see the immensity of the cosmos, bowing my head I scan the multitude of the world.

The gaze flies, the heart expands, the senses reach the peak of the joy, and in truth this is happiness ”.