Local

Unfavorable weather delays Axiom-1 splashdown

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — NASA and SpaceX have a agreed on a time for Axiom-1, the first all-private mission to the International Space Station, to attempt to undock and prepare for the return trip to Earth.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Unfavorable weather conditions have forced the crew to extend their stay. Until the crew returns, NASA and Space-X won’t be launching Crew-4.

READ: ‘What a ride’: Axiom-1 becomes first all-private crewed mission to dock with ISS

Axiom-1 launched April 8 on what was supposed to be a 10-day mission, but the crew has yet to undock.

“The return of Axiom-1 is a moving target because the weather is really uncertain and very unsettled right now,” said Dr. Ken Kremer with Space UpClose.

READ: Get an inside look at the lavish Space Lounge that will provide cozy trips high above Earth

SpaceX and NASA need about 48 hours between the splashdown of Axiom-1 and the launch of Crew-4 to inspect the Crew Dragon that returned, to make sure everything worked well and that there’s no issues.

NASA announced plans late Wednesday for the Ax-1 crew to undock from the ISS at 8:35 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, April 23, with a splashdown off the Florida coast scheduled to take place at about 1:46 p.m. the following Sunday.

Final preparations for the Crew-4 mission are well underway. Teams just finished a dress rehearsal of launch day activities and successful completed a Falcon 9 static fire test.

The Dragon Crew departure from the space station will free up the docking port needed for the arrival of the Dragon Freedom and the Crew-4 astronauts.

The earliest possible launch opportunity for the Crew-4 mission is now set for Tuesday, April 26 at 4:15 a.m. with backup launch opportunities on April 27 and 28.

Click here for more information.

READ: Orlando-area couple launches into space on Blue Origin flight

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.