NASA's Crew-8 Astronauts Extend Their Time in Orbit

The four astronauts from NASA and SpaceX’s Crew-8 mission will continue their stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) a bit longer due to unfavorable weather conditions. The crew’s return to Earth had already been delayed and was scheduled for today, October 13, but the decision was made to postpone it this morning because of poor weather at the planned splashdown area off the Florida coast.

This crew includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos. They are set to journey back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. However, with hurricanes and severe weather recently impacting Florida, NASA officials decided it was safer for the astronauts to remain in orbit rather than risk a splashdown under potentially treacherous conditions.

“Due to unfavorable weather conditions off the coast of Florida, Dragon is standing down from today’s undocking from the Space Station. Teams will continue to monitor weather conditions for the next available undocking opportunity,” SpaceX reported on their platform.

Currently, there is no updated timeline for when the Crew-8 astronauts can return home, as a new departure date is still pending. NASA has indicated that they will provide a weather update tomorrow morning, which may include more information regarding the schedule. Delays due to weather are not uncommon for missions to and from the ISS, where human safety is given utmost priority. With 11 astronauts currently aboard the station, it remains busy but manageable, allowing the Crew-8 members to stay safely until the weather improves.

The impact of Hurricane Milton has been significant for NASA’s operations in Florida. Many launches, including the Europa Clipper mission, have been affected. The unmanned Europa Clipper mission, aimed at exploring Jupiter’s icy moon, also faced a launch delay but is now on track to proceed tomorrow, October 14.

Meanwhile, SpaceX has had a busy weekend, successfully conducting its fifth test flight of the Starship rocket, which included a milestone achievement of catching the returning Super Heavy booster.