Cape Canaveral, Florida – After facing numerous delays, three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut departed from the International Space Station on Wednesday. Their return journey, which was originally postponed due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and then stalled further by poor weather conditions, finally commenced.
The primary reason for the recent delay was Hurricane Milton, which disrupted the astronauts’ plans to undock and return to Earth on multiple occasions. The inclement weather at the designated splashdown sites off the coast of Florida posed significant challenges for the safe return of the crew members.
Despite the setbacks, the astronauts – Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin – successfully undocked from the space station in their SpaceX Dragon capsule at 5:05 p.m. ET. Their almost eight-month stay in orbit as part of the Crew-8 mission came to a close as they began their journey back home.
Their extended stay in space was initially intended to support the emergency lifeboat role of their Dragon spacecraft for astronauts aboard the troubled Starliner capsule. Issues with the Starliner led to its return without crew members in early September, leaving two astronauts stranded on the space station for an extended period.
The departure of the Crew-8 members marks the transition to the Crew-9 mission, which launched two new crew members to the space station on a SpaceX capsule. The upcoming splashdown off the coast of Florida on Friday is expected to conclude the journey that began in March.
Throughout their time on the International Space Station, the astronauts conducted research, scientific experiments, and assisted with various visiting spacecraft, including the Starliner. The crew members’ safe return after a 34-hour journey will bring closure to their mission and usher in new occupants on the space station.