NASA Announces Coverage for Axiom Mission 3 Departure from Space Station

NASA has scheduled live coverage for the undocking and departure of the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) from the International Space Station. The four-member astronaut crew is set to undock from the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at approximately 6:05 a.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 3, and begin their journey back to Earth with a splashdown off the coast of Florida.
Live coverage of the joint operations between the space station, Axiom Space, and SpaceX will be provided. The broadcast of hatch-closure preparations will commence at 4 a.m., and NASA’s coverage of the undocking will resume at 5:45 a.m.
The coverage will be accessible on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Information on streaming NASA TV through various platforms, including social media, can be found on the website.
The four private astronauts – Michael López-Alegría, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, and Alper Gezeravci – will conclude their approximately two-week mission in space. The Axiom crew, along with Expedition 70, bid farewell during remarks on Friday in preparation for their undocking.
Upon return to Earth, the SpaceX Dragon will carry more than 550 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 30 different experiments conducted during the mission. The splashdown is expected around 7 p.m.
The Ax-3 mission, which is the third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, launched successfully from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 18.
NASA’s undocking and departure coverage for Ax-3 is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on operations):
Saturday, Feb. 3
– 4 a.m. – NASA coverage begins for 4:15 a.m. hatch closure
– 5:45 a.m. – NASA coverage continues for 6:05 a.m. undocking
NASA’s coverage will conclude approximately 30 minutes after undocking, and Axiom Space will resume coverage of Dragon’s re-entry and splashdown on the company’s website.
The Ax-3 mission is part of NASA’s initiative to promote a commercial market in low Earth orbit and facilitate a new era of space exploration that allows more people and organizations to pursue multiple mission objectives. This partnership aims to expand human spaceflight opportunities and grant access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station for more individuals, scientific endeavors, and commercial ventures.
Learn more about how NASA is supporting a space economy in low Earth orbit:
-end-
Julian Coltre
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
julian.n.coltre@nasa.gov
Rebecca Turkington
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
rebecca.turkington@nasa.gov

Author: OpenAI