SpaceX Dragon en route back to Earth, splashdown e

The first NASA-SpaceX astronauts are en route back to Earth, with the expected splashdown to happen near Pensacola, Florida, at 2:48 p.m. ET.

MORE: History-making NASA-SpaceX astronauts undock from International Space Station

At about 1 p.m. ET, Crew Dragon Endeavour got the go-ahead for its deorbit burn. As the capsule nears Earth, there will be a communications blackout lasting about six minutes.

NASA Chief Astronaut Pat Forrester, left, and NASA astronaut and Crew Recovery Chief Shane Kimbrough, along with other NASA and SpaceX support teams onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship, prepare for the landing of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Aug. 2, 2020, in the Gulf of Mexico off the cost of Pensacola, Florida.

NASA Chief Astronaut Pat Forrester, left, and NASA astronaut and Crew Recovery Chief Shane Kimbrough, along with other NASA and SpaceX support teams onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship, prepare for the landing of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Aug. 2, 2020, in the Gulf of Mexico off the cost of Pensacola, Florida.

Bill Ingalls/NASA/AFP via Getty Images

Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, who left Earth on May 30, undocked from the International Space Station at about 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

MORE: Meet Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, the history-making NASA and SpaceX astronauts

Stakes are high as the astronauts only have 48 hours of oxygen in their capsule after undocking.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, undocks from the International Space Station (ISS), Aug. 1, 2020.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, undocks from the International Space Station (ISS), Aug. 1, 2020.

NASA/EPA via Shutterstock

Behnken said Friday he was most excited to see his family and his 6-year-old son upon returning to Earth, saying, "He's changed a lot in the couple of months that we've been up here."

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken, left, and Doug Hurley participate in a fully integrated test of SpaceX Crew Dragon flight hardware at the SpaceX processing facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, March 30, 2020.

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken, left, and Doug Hurley participate in a fully integrated test of SpaceX Crew Dragon flight hardware at the SpaceX processing facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, March 30, 2020.

NASA/EPA via Shutterstock, FILE

On Sunday morning Hurley and Behnken woke up to a message from their children who were all excited for their return.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

Source : abcnews.go.com