Tim Peake Returns to Earth!

Thu 16 June

On Saturday 18 June, British ESA astronaut Tim Peake will return to Earth alongside his crewmates Yuri Malenchenko (Roscosmos) and Tim Kopra (NASA). For the past few weeks Tim has been spending time packing, cleaning his crew quarters, reviewing procedures and taking final medical checks ready for heading back to Earth.

How will Tim Peake get back?

While we sleep in the early hours of Saturday morning, Tim and the crew will make final preparations. They will go into the Soyuz spacecraft, say goodbye to their home for 6 months and close the hatch. Once in the Soyuz craft that will take them home, they will put on their Sokul suits which are pressurised outfits worn inside the Soyuz spacecraft during travel to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

Next the Soyuz will undock from the ISS, the thrusters will fire up and it will move away slowly from the ISS. An hour later the Soyuz engines fire up, which will take it out of Earth’s orbit and on to re-entry trajectory. The next stage is for the decent module to separate from the craft and the crew will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. While the capsule falls through the atmosphere the craft heats up, but the crew are protected by a heat shield on the outside, which takes away the thermal energy.

Around 10am the craft’s parachutes are scheduled to be deployed to slow and angle their descent, then, just before landing, ‘soft landing engines’ will slow it even further to ensure a safe landing. The crew will come back to earth with a bump, cushioned by special moulded seats to protect them. 

Take part in the celebrations

You can watch Tim return to earth through a live transmission on ESA TV. Let us know on Twitter if you're watching! 

In At-Bristol, we’ll be celebrating Tim Peake’s return from the International Space Station with a special Planetarium show and the Meet the Expert: Astronaut! event where you can take part in lots of spaceflight-themed activities.

Competition giveaway! 

Get your hands on a 3D astronaut notebook and some Principia mission goodies, including mission sticker and launch button badge – email competition@at-bristol.org.uk with "Tim Peake Return to Earth" in the subject (please see below for T&Cs). One lucky winner will receive a limited edition embroidered Principia mission patch!

Terms and conditions: 

  • Only one entry per person
  • Competition closes at midnight on 20 June 2016
  • The winners will be selected at random
  • Winners will be notified on 21 June 2016
  • Competition is only open to UK residents aged 16 and over
  • Competition not open to At-Bristol staff or their direct family members
  • We promise not to share your details with anyone else!