Stranded NASA SpaceX Crew-8 Astronauts Set for Splashdown Within Hours
October 24, 2024
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After more than two weeks of delays due to Hurricane Milton, SpaceX’s Crew-8 is set to splash down off the coast of Florida in the early hours of Friday morning.
The Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday at 5:05 p.m. ET while zipping 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean.
The splashdown is scheduled for around 3:30 a.m. ET on Friday, and NASA will livestream the whole event on its NASA+ channel.
“After living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory for 235 days, Crew-8 successfully undocked from the space-facing port of the Harmony module of the International Space Station,” NASA’s Johnson Space Center said in a post on X.
The four SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon vessel “Endeavour” shortly after the hatch opened on the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut… The four SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon vessel “Endeavour” shortly after the hatch opened on the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick.
NASA
Onboard Endeavour are NASA astronauts Matt Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. The crew launched on a SpaceX Flacon 9 rocket back in March, arriving at the ISS on March 5, 2024.
They were originally set to come home in August, but were delayed several times. Boeing’s troubled Starliner—which left two astronauts stuck on the space station—created a backlog until its faults were investigated by NASA.
Crew-8’s return was then rescheduled for October 14, but conditions off the coast of Florida were unfavorable in the wake of Hurricane Milton. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center closed entirely on October 9 due to the storm, with only essential personnel allowed on site.
Even on Wednesday, the weather remained a concern. “Forecasters have seen improvement in expected weather at some of the landing sites off the coast of Florida and continue to monitor conditions while considering splashdown sites and exact timing,” NASA said in a statement on Tuesday.
The journey back to Earth takes more than 34 hours. Endeavour first had to perform a series of departure burns to move away from the space station, after which it began conducting multiple orbit-lowering maneuvers. The spacecraft will then jettison its trunk and reenter the Earth’s atmosphere.
When Will Crew-8 Return to Earth?
NASA’s coverage of the moment will resume at 2:15 a.m. ET on Friday, October 25. The public can watch the spectacle on NASA+ and the agency’s website until splashdown at 3:29 a.m. ET.
A news conference is planned for later on Friday morning.
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