Fincke hands over station command as Crew-11 prepares for Wednesday departure.

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke handed command of the International Space Station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov; Crew-11 is targeted to undock Jan. 14 and splash down off California on Jan. 15.

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke handed over command of the International Space Station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov at 2:35 p.m. EST today. The Change of Command Ceremony preceded the planned departure of Fincke with crewmates Zena Cardman (NASA), Kimiya Yui (JAXA), and Oleg Platonov (Roscosmos) aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Crew-11 is targeting undock from the Harmony module's space-facing port at 5:05 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 14, and a parachute-assisted splashdown is planned for about 3:40 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15. Three crew members — Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Chris Williams (NASA), and Sergey Mikaev (Roscosmos) — will remain aboard and await the arrival of Crew-12 in February. What we know: - Mike Fincke handed over station command to Sergey Kud-Sverchkov at 2:35 p.m. EST. - Fincke, Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov packed personal items and reviewed departure and reentry procedures inside the Dragon spacecraft. - Crew-11 is targeted to undock Jan. 14 at 5:05 p.m. EST and is scheduled to splash down around 3:40 a.m. on Jan. 15. - NASA and SpaceX support personnel will recover Dragon and return the crew to California before they travel to their home agencies. - Remaining crew members continued station work, including medical scans, eye imaging, ultraviolet disinfection tests in the Kibo module, and maintenance of electronic and ventilation systems. Summary: The handover completes the formal change in station leadership and sets the stage for Crew-11's planned return next week. Recovery teams are scheduled to retrieve Dragon and the crew after splashdown, and station personnel will prepare to receive Crew-12 in February.