In a move driven by Mother Nature, NASA and SpaceX have once again postponed the undocking of the Crew-8 mission from the International Space Station (ISS). Originally slated for Wednesday, October 17th, the return of the four astronauts – NASA’s Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin – has been pushed back to no earlier than Sunday, October 20th.
The reason for the postponement? Unfavorable weather conditions near the planned splashdown zone off the coast of Florida. NASA reports that these conditions are expected to persist for several days, making a safe return impossible.
This delay marks the latest in a series of setbacks for the Crew-8 mission, which has seen its return date pushed back multiple times since its original August deadline. The four astronauts arrived at the ISS in March 2024, spending over 200 days conducting scientific research and maintaining the station’s operations.
The ISS currently houses a diverse crew, including the Crew-8 astronauts, the Crew-9 astronauts who arrived last month, two astronauts from Boeing Co.’s Starliner mission in June, and three astronauts who arrived via the Soyuz MS-26 in September.
With the Crew-8 mission’s undocking postponed, all eyes are on the weather forecast. If conditions improve as predicted, the crew will undock from the space station no earlier than 3:05 a.m. EST on Sunday, October 20th. Until then, the astronauts will continue their work aboard the ISS, awaiting their return to Earth.