Crew-1 astronauts’ return to Earth delayed until Saturday

The astronauts on the crowded International Space Station will have to get cozy for at least another four days.

The return of Crew-1 astronauts has been delayed from Wednesday until 11:36 a.m. Saturday in the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean off Florida due to “wind speeds above the recovery criteria,” according to NASA.

The returning crew includes three NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and, Shannon Walker plus Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

NASA and SpaceX leaders agreed weather conditions Saturday would be more ideal for the splashdown. The foursome will start their return home at 5:55 p.m. Friday on the Crew Dragon spacecraft, “Resilience.”

Last week, Crew-2 astronauts flew onboard “Crew Dragon Endeavour” to the ISS, allowing the Crew-1 members to make their return this week.

Crew-1 members have been on the ISS since November after flying onboard the first operational mission of NASA’s commercial crew partner SpaceX. In all, 11 astronauts are currently aboard the station, a near-record.

SpaceX will be completing its first of six contracted operational missions when Resilience undocks from the ISS for its return home.

The splashdown is scheduled to take place at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico.

Those interested in watching the splashdown can do so on NASA Television, the NASA App, and the agency’s website.