NASA will provide live coverage of the undocking and departure of the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) prior to its return to Earth from the International Space Station.
The four-member private astronaut crew is scheduled to undock from the space station at 8:35 p.m. EDT Saturday, April 23, to begin the journey home, with splashdown off the coast of Florida targeted for about 1:46 p.m. Sunday, April 24. The integrated teams at Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX have agreed on the adjusted return plan based on weather for splashdown of the first private astronaut mission to visit the orbital laboratory and the return trajectory required to bring the crew and the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft back to Earth safely.
Teams will monitor weather at the splashdown sites prior to undocking to ensure conditions are acceptable for a safe recovery of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Ax-1 astronauts.
NASA and Axiom Space will begin coverage at 6:15 p.m. Saturday, April 23, with coverage of hatch closure preparations, which will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency’s website, and the company’s website.
Ax-1 Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Larry Connor, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy will complete 16 days in space at the conclusion of their mission. SpaceX Dragon Endeavour, the Ax-1 spacecraft, will return to Earth with more than 200 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments and hardware.
NASA Ax-1 return coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):
Saturday, April 23
6:15 p.m.– Coverage begins for 6:30 p.m. hatch closure
8:15 p.m. – Coverage begins for 8:35 a.m. undocking
NASA coverage will break between the above events, and undocking coverage will end approximately 30 minutes after undocking when joint operations with the Axiom and SpaceX mission teams ends.
Axiom Space will resume coverage of Dragon’s re-entry and splashdown beginning at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, April 24, on the company’s website.
The Ax-1 mission represents both a culmination of NASA’s efforts to foster a commercial market in low-Earth orbit and the beginning of a new era of space exploration that enables more people to fly on more kinds of missions. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities.
- NASA to Cover Crew Arrival to Launch Site, Flight Readiness Review (STM Daily News)
The four members of the SpaceX Crew-5 mission pose for a portrait in their Crew Dragon flight suits at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. … NASA to Cover Crew Arrival to Launch Site, Flight Readiness Review STM Daily News! - Hilton to Design Suites for Starlab Space Station
Hilton is set to design astronaut facilities for the private space station, Voyager-Space’s Starlab. - NASA Waves Off First Artemis I Launch Attempt, to Provide Media Update
Following the Artemis I launch scrub Monday from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency will hold a media briefing at approximately 1 p.m. EDT today, Monday, Aug. 29, to discuss mission status. The briefing will livestream on NASA Television, the agency’s app, and on the agency’s website. Artemis I is… Read more: NASA Waves Off First Artemis I Launch Attempt, to Provide Media Update - Historic launch of Artemis I: Destination the MoonCNW Telbec/ – On Monday, August 29, NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will launch for the first time, as part of the Artemis I mission to the Moon. This uncrewed test flight will mark the return to the Moon after almost 50 years and the beginning of a new era of lunar exploration.… Read more: Historic launch of Artemis I: Destination the Moon
- Artemis Mission Paves the Way for Return to the Moon Says SMU Planetary Scientist Working with NASA
Matt Siegler, a research scientist at Southern Methodist University and the Planetary Science Institute who is participating in ongoing NASA missions, says the Artemis 1 launch could revive America’s ability to get humans back to the Moon. “Like Apollo, before we strap our best and brightest astronauts to the top of a rocket, we need… Read more: Artemis Mission Paves the Way for Return to the Moon Says SMU Planetary Scientist Working with NASA
