NASA announced that SpaceX’s third commercial astronaut mission Crew-3 was postponed for the fourth time so that the second mission Crew would be delayed first. The crew of -2 took back to Earth.
Moreover, NASA and SpaceX have decided to postpone the launch of the Crew-3 mission from November 8th, US Eastern Time to 9:03 pm, November 10th, this mission will send four astronauts to the International Space Station.
The crew-3 includes NASA astronaut Raja Chari (Mission commander), Tom Marshburn (Pilot), Kayla Barron ( Mission expert), and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer (Mission expert).
At the same time, NASA announced that Crew-2 will leave the International Space Station and return to Earth on November 7 at 12:04 pm Eastern Time. It is expected to be in November. It splashed off the coast of Florida at 7:14 am on the 8th.
The crew of Crew-2 includes NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and EuroSpace Bureau (ESA) Astronaut Thomas Pesquet (Thomas Pesquet).
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Since the most recent period of time, there have been great uncertainties surrounding the return date of Crew-2 and the launch date of Crew-3. Crew-3 was originally scheduled to launch on October 31, but severe weather was expected and had to be postponed for 72 hours.
Subsequently, an astronaut of Crew-3 suffered minor health problems, and the launch was postponed a second time until Saturday (November 6). But the unfavorable weather forecast soon prompted NASA to change its plan, delaying the launch for at least another 48 hours.
NASA and SpaceX have now decided to bring Crew-2 back to Earth before Crew-3 takes off. This is because the deadline for the latter to stay in space is approaching. Crew-2 was launched on April 23. If it can return to Earth on the 8th, it will mean that it has spent 199 days in space. Previously, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft was expected to stay in orbit for up to 210 days.
However, Crew-2’s latest return plan may still be changed. After all, these arrangements require good weather conditions, just like launching. NASA officials said that if weather conditions do not allow Crew-2 to return on time, it will have a backup opportunity on November 8.
Besides, SpaceX has signed a multi-billion dollar contract with NASA to help the latter transport astronauts to and from the Earth and the International Space Station.
