UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi’s eagerly anticipated return to Earth has been postponed, as NASA and SpaceX made the decision to delay the scheduled departure from the International Space Station.
NASA and SpaceX had initially planned for the Crew-6 mission’s departure to take place on Saturday, September 2. However, unfavorable weather conditions in the splashdown areas off the Florida coast have forced them to reconsider.
New dates for the next available undocking and landing of the Dragon spacecraft from the International Space Station have been announced.#SafeReturnSultan#ZayedAmbition pic.twitter.com/WFQZrphUla
— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) September 1, 2023
According to a statement from NASA, the next opportunity for undocking is set for no earlier than 7:05 am EDT on Sunday, September 3, with a potential splashdown no earlier than 12:07 am on Monday, September 4. This timing is subject to further weather evaluations.
NASA stated, “Mission teams will convene on Friday evening to assess the feasibility of the next Crew-6 undocking. The Dragon spacecraft, known as Endeavour, remains in good health while currently docked to the space station. Crew-6, which includes UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, is completing a nearly six-month science mission in orbit.”
