Hurricane Isaias, which is approaching Florida, could disrupt the return of the Crew Dragon shuttle even if all goes as planned so far.
Crew Dragon’s return to earth is scheduled for early Sunday evening.
KEYSTONE/AP
The hatch of the SpaceX capsule was closed on Saturday in preparation for the return to earth of two American astronauts who have just spent two months aboard the International Space Station, according to NASA. The Crew Dragon shuttle must now be depressurized.
Its undocking remains scheduled for 1:34 a.m. (Swiss time) and its landing on Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico at around 8:41 p.m. The US space agency continues to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Isaias which, after hitting the Bahamas, is approaching Florida. If the winds were too strong or the waves too high, this would complicate the arrival of the capsule, but also its safe recovery by pre-positioned ships.
A first
The Americans Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley became the first astronauts to be transported to the International Space Station (ISS), 400 km from Earth, by a private company, under contract with NASA. The launch of Crew Dragon also marked the United States’ first manned flight since 2011, when space shuttles were retired. Americans have since been traveling on Russian rockets.
NASA has tasked SpaceX, which had been delivering cargo to the ISS since 2012, to develop a new space taxi. For three billion dollars (2.75 billion francs), granted since 2011 as part of a fixed price contract, SpaceX has promised the American space agency six round trips to the ISS, with four astronauts to edge.
(ATS / NXP)
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