The 10-day-long mission has been extended to be of 14 days after poor weather conditions in the area where the Dragon spacecraft will splashdown with four private astronauts.
The Ax-1 crew inside the SpaceX Dragon. (Photo: SpaceX)
After Nasa and SpaceX waved off the plans for the first private astronaut to return home, the Axiom-1 crew will undock from the International Space Station on April 23. The latest change will extend their 10-day-long mission to a 14-day-mission with the team already concluding their intended experiments and scientific studies in zero-gravity.
Led by Micahel Lopez-Alegria, the private crew will undock from the International Space Station at 8:35 p.m. EDT on Saturday or a splashdown off the coast of Florida the next day. The decision was taken after considering the latest weather forecast in the splashdown area and the return trajectory required to bring the crew and the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft back to Earth safely.
“NASA and Axiom mission planning prepared for the possibility of additional time on station for the private astronauts, and there are sufficient provisions for all 11 crew members aboard the space station,” Axiom Space said in a statement, adding that the crew continues to work through previously planned mission activities.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has said that the Dragon spacecraft, which took the four astronauts to space and is docked with the flying outpost, remains healthy.
As the private crew has completed their pre-decided scientific activities on the station, the company said that they are taking a bit more time to absorb the remarkable views of the planet and review the vast amount of work that was successfully completed during the mission.
Meanwhile, Commander López-Alegría, Larry Connor, and Eytan Stibbe signed the neurowellness helmet, which was brought with the crew on the space station to demonstrate the technological feasibility of cognitive performance and brain activity monitoring. The data collected from this study will help inform us on how space causes neurological changes in the brain.
“The crew has been capturing content to add to a portfolio of assets that will be later used on the ground for Earth observation research and public engagement and outreach,” Axiom said adding that the crew conducted dozens of experiments in support of over 25 science payloads and technology demonstrations curated with leading academic and research partners around the globe. The astronauts also conducted investigations with Axiom research partners, including self-assembling technology for future space habitats, cancer research, and air purification systems on space stations.
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