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NASA: Astronauts to Return from Space Station Next Week

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said leaving the International Space Station was 'a bittersweet feeling' - EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/AFP/File
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said leaving the International Space Station was 'a bittersweet feeling' - EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/AFP/File
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NASA: Astronauts to Return from Space Station Next Week

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said leaving the International Space Station was 'a bittersweet feeling' - EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/AFP/File
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said leaving the International Space Station was 'a bittersweet feeling' - EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/AFP/File

Four astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth from the International Space Station early Monday after spending more than six months in space, NASA announced.

The four members of the Crew-2 mission, including a French and a Japanese astronaut, will therefore return to Earth before the arrival of a replacement crew, whose take-off was delayed several times due to unfavorable weather conditions.

NASA said in a statement late Friday that Crew-2 members are due to return to Earth "no earlier than 7:14 am EST (1214 GMT) Monday, Nov. 8, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida."

"As we're preparing to leave, it's kind of a bittersweet feeling, we might never come back to see the ISS, and it's really a magical place," French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said earlier Friday during a press conference from the space station.

"I'm very thankful that people dreamt the ISS some time ago and then went ahead and worked hard to make it happen and to build it for the benefit of everyone," Pesquet added.

Endeavor, the Crew Dragon spacecraft, is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 1805 GMT Sunday to begin the journey home, AFP reported.

Once detached from the ISS, the capsule will begin a journey of several hours, the duration of which can vary greatly depending on the trajectory, and will then land off the coast of Florida.

A backup undocking and splashdown opportunity is available Monday, if weather conditions are not favorable, NASA said.

The two missions are being carried out by NASA in collaboration with SpaceX, which now provides regular launches to the ISS from the United States.

Crew-3 is scheduled to take off for the ISS aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where astronauts have been in quarantine for days.

US astronaut Megan McArthur was confident that not getting the replacement crew to ISS before the current crew departs was just a temporary setback.

"Of course that's not optimal," McArthur told reporters during the Friday press conference. "But we are prepared to manage that. Spaceflight is full of lots of little challenges."

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Labubu Fans Dote Over Ugly-Cute Doll Trending at Comic-Con 

Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
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Labubu Fans Dote Over Ugly-Cute Doll Trending at Comic-Con 

Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)

San Diego Comic-Con is the latest location where the ugly-cute dolls named Labubu have been trending, with fans carrying the plushies globally popularized by celebrities Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink.

The wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung allowed them to be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that sells collectible figurines, often in "blind boxes".

"Blind boxes" are sealed boxes containing a surprise item that is usually part of a themed collection.

Naomi Galban, from San Diego, waited in line on Sunday at the Pop Mart booth in the San Diego Convention Center for a chance to get her first Labubu.

"Every time I go to a Pop Mart store, they're sold out," the 24-year-old told Reuters. She hoped to buy one for her little sister.

Emily Brough, Pop Mart's Head of IP Licensing, spoke to Reuters on Thursday about Labubu fans at Comic-Con.

"We love to see how fans are personalizing it (Labubu) for themselves," Brough said next to the Pop Mart booth.

While Brough noted that there were many people with a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll's popularity did not happen overnight. Labubus had a huge boost in 2019 after Pop Mart began selling them, and in 2024, when Blackpink's Lisa, who is Thai, created a buying frenzy in Thailand after she promoted Labubu on social media.

Pop Mart saw sales skyrocket in North America that same year, with revenue in the US in the first quarter of 2025 already surpassing the full-year US revenue from 2024, Pop Mart said.

When he created Labubu, Lung gave the character, who is female, a backstory inspired by Nordic mythology.

He called her and his other fictional creatures "The Monsters."

Diana Goycortua, 25, first discovered Labubu through social media, and before she knew it, it felt like a "game" to try and collect the dolls.

"It's a little bit of gambling with what you're getting," the Labubu fan from San Diego said on Sunday while waiting at the Pop Mart booth, concluding that her love for the character made it worth trying blind boxes.

Goycortua already has three Labubus, and was hoping to score her a fourth one at Comic-Con.