Astronauts (from left) Thomas Pesquet, Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough and Akihiko Hoshide speak to reporters in the world prior to their go back to Earth aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour. Credit: NASA
NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission now is targeting a return to Earth no earlier than 10:33 p.m. EST Monday, November 8, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, called Endeavour, is arranged to undock from the International Space Station at 2:05 p.m. Monday, November 8, to start the journey home. Objective teams chose to adjust the Sunday, November 7, undocking following a planned weather review revealing high winds undesirable for recovery near the splashdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
NASA will supply coverage of the objective on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the companys website.
NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Aki Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will complete 199 days in area at the conclusion of their mission. The spacecraft also will return to Earth with about 530 pounds of hardware and scientific examinations.
NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission now is targeting a return to Earth no earlier than 10:33 p.m. EST Monday, November 8, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, called Endeavour, is arranged to undock from the International Space Station at 2:05 p.m. Monday, November 8, to start the journey home. NASAs Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, trusted, and economical transport to and from the International Space Station from the U.S. through a partnership with American personal market. The area station remains the springboard to NASAs next great leap in space exploration, consisting of future missions to the Moon and, ultimately, to Mars.
Endeavour will undock autonomously and perform a fly around maneuver to photograph the exterior of the International Space Station. Once the maneuver is finished, the Crew Dragon spacecraft will aim for a splashdown at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.
The NASA and SpaceX teams will figure out an alternate and primary splashdown area from the 7 possible landing locations prior to return, considering weather, team rescue, and recovery operations. Additional choice milestones happen prior to undocking, during complimentary flight, and prior to Crew Dragon carries out the deorbit burn.
NASA and SpaceX carefully coordinate with the U.S. Coast Guard to establish a safety zone around the expected splashdown place to ensure security for the general public and for those associated with the recovery operations, in addition to the crew aboard the returning spacecraft.
With Crew-2 splashdown Monday, November 8, NASAs SpaceX Crew-3 mission is targeting launch no earlier than 9:03 p.m. Wednesday, November 10, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For this launch opportunity, the Crew Dragon Endurance is scheduled to dock to the spaceport station around 7:10 p.m. Thursday, November 11.
NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 return protection is as follows:
Monday, November 8
11:45 a.m. EST– Coverage starts for 12:40 p.m. hatch closure
1:45 p.m. EST– Coverage starts for 2:05 p.m. undocking (NASA will offer constant protection from undocking to splashdown).
10:33 p.m. EST– Splashdown.
Crew-2 is the second of 6 NASA and SpaceX crewed missions to fly as part of the companys Commercial Crew Program, which is dealing with the U.S. aerospace market to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil.
NASAs Commercial Crew Program has actually delivered on its objective of safe, dependable, and cost-efficient transport to and from the International Space Station from the U.S. through a collaboration with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more individuals, more science, and more business opportunities. The area station stays the springboard to NASAs next terrific leap in area expedition, including future objectives to the Moon and, ultimately, to Mars.
