SpaceX and NASA delayed the return to Earth of 4 crew members of the Crew-2 mission on the International Space Station (ISS) to the end of November 8 due to bad weather.
SpaceX’s Crew-2 mission astronaut for NASA will leave the space station at 14:05 p.m. 8.11, EST (ie 2:05 a.m., November 9, Vietnam time) and land on the same day off the coast of Florida at 22:33 p.m. 10:33, Vietnam time).
The return trip of the NASA crew on the SpaceX spacecraft will be broadcast on NASA TV as well as on Space.com.
Previously, the astronauts were scheduled to leave the International Space Station on the afternoon of November 7 to land on Earth on the morning of November 8.
NASA said in a statement late on November 6 that the delay to the Crew-2 astronauts’ departure from the ISS space station was made after a review of the weather showed that high winds were not favorable for landing in the area near the Gulf of Mexico. .
The SpaceX spaceship brought the Crew-2 crew back to Earth including 2 NASA astronauts, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with Japan Space Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency. The four astronauts were launched to the International Space Station aboard Crew Dragon Endeavor in April.The Crew Dragon Endeavor spacecraft is scheduled to land in one of seven different target locations off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX and NASA will choose a primary and backup site shortly before the astronauts land, according to NASA officials. On November 6, NASA officials said that the final choice would not be revealed until the astronauts landed due to safety concerns.
This safety protocol was needed after private boats entered the area where SpaceX’s first crewed spacecraft landed during the August Demo-2 mission, Space.com noted.
Delayed return due to the approaching deadline of orbital operations of the spacecraft is not the only obstacle the Crew-2 crew encountered during the 199-day 16-hour mission to the ISS. The four astronauts’ 20-hour return trip to Earth was also hampered by a problem with a toilet leak in the SpaceX spaceship. Therefore, astronauts will have to wear diapers during the flight from the ISS back to Earth.The Crew-2 mission is SpaceX’s third manned spacecraft for NASA and the second of six crewed missions for the US space agency under a multibillion-dollar NASA contract.
Elon Musk’s company is also preparing to make the next crewed flight for NASA – the Crew-3 mission. The mission was postponed due to bad weather and 1 in 4 astronauts had minor medical problems.
Crew-3 is currently scheduled to launch to the International Space Station no earlier than November 10 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX’s Crew-3 Crew will carry NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer on a six-month mission aboard the Space Station. International.
CBS New notes, Crew-3 was originally scheduled to launch on October 31 to receive a direct handover from Crew-2 as well as have time to get used to the equipment that will be used on the ISS. Although Crew-3 hasn’t been to the space station yet, NASA chose to bring Crew-2 home first, in part because the Crew Dragon spacecraft has spent nearly 210 days in space – the maximum certified in-orbit for a spacecraft. .
The handover of operations on the ISS space station is currently led by astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who arrived at the ISS on April 9 aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.
