NASA scrubs Wednesday’s return of space station’s Crew-1 astronauts

By Trevor Mogg Published April 28, 2022

SpaceX’s Crew-1 astronauts will get to spend a few extra days in space.

NASA’s Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), were due to undock from the International Space Station in the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft early on Wednesday, April 28, splashing down later in the day in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.

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But a forecast for strong winds prompted Mission Control to postpone the return as it was feared the conditions could hamper the recovery effort.

The astronauts are now expected to land in the Gulf of Mexico at 11:36 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 1. Digital Trends has full and updated details on how you can watch the entire event, from the undocking procedure the day before all the way to Saturday’s splashdown.

Following a review of the weather forecast in splashdown zones, the departure of NASA's @SpaceX Crew-1 mission from the @Space_Station is now targeted for Fri., Apr. 30, with return to Earth Sat., May 1: https://t.co/vzxLvF0yWc pic.twitter.com/K50DbInyft

— NASA (@NASA) April 27, 2021

Despite the Crew-1 astronauts staying on board for a little longer than expected, the space station stuck to its schedule for handing over command, with Shannon Walker of NASA passing responsibilities to JAXA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-2 member Akihiko Hoshide in a special event that took place on Tuesday, April 27.

Hoshide arrived at the space station with the other Crew-2 astronauts — NASA’s Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet — on Saturday, April 24, with the crew set to live and work on the space-based laboratory for the next six months.

Crew-1 launched to the International Space Station in November 2020 and is the first of six crewed missions NASA and SpaceX will fly as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, which worked with the U.S. aerospace industry to return launches with astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil.

It follows the successful test mission in May 2020, when NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken flew to the space station aboard a Crew Dragon capsule, safely returning several months later. The Demo-2 mission marked the first astronaut launch and landing in U.S. territory since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

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Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Space

SpaceX Crew-9 mission launches to ISS carrying two astronauts

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon craft has launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida carrying two new crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch had been delayed a number of times, most recently due to Hurricane Helene, but lifted off successfully at 1:17 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 28.

The spacecraft, carried by a Falcon 9 rocket and launched from Space Launch Complex-40, carries NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov as members of the Crew-9 mission. It is unusual for a Dragon to launch carrying just two crew members, as it typically carries crews of four. In this case, the spare seats are reserved for the homeward journey of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams who are currently on the ISS after having traveled there on the first crewed test flight of the Boeing Starliner.

Space

SpaceX Crew-9 launch delayed again because of Tropical Storm Helene

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft atop, is vertical at the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 launch to the International Space Station.

As Florida braces for the arrival of Tropical Storm Helene, the launch of NASA's Crew-9 mission from the Kennedy Space Center has once again been delayed. The launch of two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) was originally set for Thursday, September 26, but has now been pushed back to 1:17 p.m. ET Saturday, September 28.

"The change allows teams to complete a rehearsal of launch day activities Tuesday night with the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, which rolled to Space Launch Complex-40 earlier in the day. Following rehearsal activities, the integrated system will move back to the hangar ahead of any potential storm activity," NASA wrote in an update. "Although Tropical Storm Helene is moving through the Gulf of Mexico and expected to impact the Florida panhandle, the storm system is large enough that high winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida’s east coast."

Space

How to watch SpaceX’s Crew-9 launch to the ISS on Saturday

Crew-7's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on the launchpad.

[UPDATE: SpaceX has called off Thursday's launch attempt due to an approaching storm. It's now targeting 1:17 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 28.]

SpaceX and NASA are gearing up for the Crew-9 launch that will carry an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.