NASA coverage of Special Axiom Mission 1 astronauts departing from the space station

NASA It will provide live coverage of the docking and departure of the Axiom 1 (Ax-1) mission in SpaceX The Dragon Endeavor spacecraft before its return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS).

The four-member special crew of astronauts is scheduled to disembark from the space station at 6:35 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 23, to begin the journey home, with the coasts of Florida targeted around 1:46 p.m. on Sunday, April 24. . Integrated teams at Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX have agreed on a weather-adjusted return plan for the flow of the first private astronaut mission to visit the orbiting laboratory and the return path required to bring the crew and SpaceX Dragon Endeavor. Return the spacecraft to Earth safely.

Teams will monitor the weather at the air distribution sites prior to docking to ensure conditions are acceptable for the safe recovery of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Ax-1 astronauts.

An image of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor crew ship was captured in the International Docking Converter facing space at Module Harmony. Endeavor has carried four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts, Commander Michael Lopez Alegria, pilot Larry Connor, and mission specialists Eitan Stipe and Mark Bathy, to the International Space Station for several days of research, education and commercial activities. credit: NASA

NASA and Axiom Space will begin coverage at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, April 23, with coverage of preparations for hatch closing, which will be broadcast live on NASA TV, NASA appagency websiteand the company website.

Axe 1 commander Michael Lopez Allegria, pilot Larry Connor, and mission specialists Eitan Stipe and Mark Bathy will complete 16 days in space when their mission concludes. The SpaceX Dragon Endeavor, the Ax-1 spacecraft, will return to Earth with more than 200 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments and instrumentation.

Coverage of the NASA Ax-1 return is as follows (all times east):

Saturday 23 April

• 4:15 p.m. – Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. to close the hatch
• 6:15 p.m. – Coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. for undock

NASA coverage will be interrupted between the above events, and de-docking coverage will end approximately 30 minutes after de-docking upon the end of joint operations with the Axiom and SpaceX mission teams.

AxiomSpace will resume coverage of Dragon Re-entry and Water Meltdown starting at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, April 24 on the company’s website.

The Ax-1 mission is the culmination of NASA’s efforts To boost the commercial market in low Earth orbit and usher in a new era of space exploration that will enable more people to fly more types 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 business opportunities.