Nasa astronauts depart ISS en route to first splashdown return in 45 years

Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are returning to Earth amid the threat of Hurricane Isaias, which is edging closer to their landing destination on the south Florida coast.

Two Nasa astronauts will make the first splashdown return in 45 years after SpaceX’s astronaut carrier the Crew Dragon successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and began its journey back to Earth, SpaceX said.

But Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are returning to Earth amid the threat of Hurricane Isaias, which is edging closer to their landing destination on the south Florida coast.