Three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut are set to leave the International Space Station on Wednesday after weeks of delays due to inclement weather. Their return flight was initially postponed because of problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, and then further delayed due to poor weather conditions caused by Hurricane Milton. The astronauts are scheduled to depart the space station in a SpaceX Dragon capsule at 5:05 p.m. ET. Despite the delays, the astronauts and cosmonaut have spent almost eight months in orbit conducting research, scientific experiments, and assisting with visiting spacecraft, including the Starliner. The return flight will take roughly 34 hours, with the crew expected to splash down off the coast of Florida on Friday at around 3:30 a.m. ET. Live coverage of the undocking process will be aired by NASA beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The extended mission of Crew-8 was due to their Dragon spacecraft serving as an emergency lifeboat for two astronauts aboard the Starliner, which encountered issues leading to its return without a crew in early September. The Crew-9 mission launched two crew members to the space station late last month and will bring the stranded astronauts back to Earth in February.
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NASA astronauts to leave space station following delays due to weather
