The TIGERS-X experiment payload has officially departed the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft, CRS-34 mission. The undocking occurred at 11:25 PM Thailand Time (4:25 PM GMT) on 16 June 2026. The Dragon spacecraft’s scheduled return journey to Earth will take a total of 20 hours. It is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California, where it will be recovered by SpaceX’s MV Shannon recovery ship.
The TIGERS-X experiment payload is one of the scientific payloads that traveled aboard the Dragon cargo spacecraft for the CRS-34 mission, which originally launched to the ISS on 16 May 2026. This mission was dedicated to delivering crucial supplies and scientific experiments to the space station.
The Dragon spacecraft was docked to the International Space Station starting 17 May 2026, remaining connected to the station for a total of 27 days and 16 hours. During this docked period, numerous scientific experiments were conducted. Among them was TIGERS-X, which operated for 10 days inside the Columbus module before being uninstalled and prepared for its return to Earth aboard the Dragon CRS-34 spacecraft.
Following its undocking from the ISS, the spacecraft performed a 23-second orbit-adjustment engine burn at 11:30 PM. This marked its final maneuver before embarking on its 20-hour journey back to Earth.
Once the spacecraft safely returns to Earth, the cargo inside will be unloaded and distributed back to their respective origin organizations. The TIGERS-X experiment payload will subsequently be transported back to Thailand.
