SpaceX Crew-2 Astronauts Set to Return Monday, Ahead of Crew-3 Launch [Update]

Update: NASA announced on Sunday the Crew-2 mission return has been delayed to Nov. 8 at 10:33pm ET.

Due to high winds near the splashdown zone, the Crew-2 mission is now targeting a return to Earth no earlier than 10:33pm ET on Nov. 8.

Crew Dragon Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the @Space_Station at 2:05pm ET on Nov. 8. Learn more: https://t.co/HWNK3d999x pic.twitter.com/ZU3JcO0T87

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) November 7, 2021

According to a Friday update from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts currently occupying the International Space Station (ISS) are scheduled to return to Earth no earlier than 4:14 a.m. PST on Monday, November 8.

UPDATE: We're now targeting no earlier than 7:14am ET (12:14 UTC) Mon., Nov. 8 for the @SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts' return to Earth from the @Space_Station.

Check out the full schedule and tune in for updates: https://t.co/WUYhjK1Lzl pic.twitter.com/NJEiamAklg

— NASA (@NASA) November 6, 2021

That’s a couple of days earlier than the Crew-3 astronauts who are supposed to replace them aboard the ISS are slated to launch, at 6:03 p.m. PST on Wednesday, November 10, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA and SpaceX originally planned for the Crew-3 mission to take off on October 31, but the launch was first delayed to November 3 by unfavorable weather conditions, delayed once again to November 6 due to a non-emergency, minor medical problem with one of the astronauts, and then delayed once more due to bad weather.

The Crew-2 astronauts will autonomously undock from the ISS in their Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavor, at 10:05 a.m. PST on Sunday, November 7, perform a fly around maneuver to photograph the Space Station, and then aim for a splashdown at one of seven possible landing zones off the coast of Florida.

Catch full coverage of the Crew-3 launch live on the SpaceX website and on NASA TV.

NASA TV’s coverage will begin with an International Space Station Change of Command ceremony at 10:35 a.m. PST on Saturday, November 6, and will include the Crew-2 astronauts’ complete journey over the next couple of days.