The SpaceX Dragon crew capsule’s return to Earth might be seen and heard on the Central Coast shortly after midnight Thursday. 

The capsule carrying Crew-11 undocked from the International Space Station on Wednesday afternoon and was expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at about 12:41 a.m. Thursday.

“Dragon will announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean,” SpaceX said. 

The vehicle also might be visible streaking across the sky.

Crew-11’s mission is ending earlier than planned due to an illness involving one of the astronauts. 

For the past several days, teams have been monitoring a medical concern with a crew member whose condition has remained stable. Due to medical privacy, NASA has remained mum about details.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov traveled to the space station in August. 

The Dragon crew capsule carrying the quartet traveled to space aboard a Falcon 9 rocket that launched from Florida. Originally their return had been scheduled for mid- to late February, but the medical issue prompted NASA to return within days, not weeks.