Elain Brown Science 04.24.2022 21:Apr PM EDT

The First All-Private Axiom Space Mission Finally Set To Return After Delays

The Ax-1 crew of the aerospace startup company Axiom Space is now bound to return to Earth.

Due to unpredictable delays, Axiom's first astronauts on their all-private mission experienced an extended amount of time spent in the International Space Station.

The Ax-1 crew will begin its return to Earth on Sunday evening after experiencing a mission delay that lasted a week longer than expected.

Ax-1 Mission Delay: When Will the Crew Return?

Axiom's Ax-1 return was met by a week's worth of delay. Due to predictable current weather conditions for undocking and landing, the Ax-1 crew's short-duration mission to the International Space Station has been prolonged by a few additional days.

The Ax-1 crew members consist of four members: Michael López-Alegra, a former NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom; Eytan Stibbe, an Israeli billionaire; Mark Pathy, a Canadian investor; and Larry Connor, an Ohio-based real estate businessman.

Before 7:30 p.m. ET, astronauts strapped into their spacecraft closed the hatch that keeps the space station safe when a vehicle leaves.

According to Axiom, "The integrated teams at Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX have agreed on a plan for the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew to undock from the International Space Station at 8:55 p.m. ET Sunday, April 24, for a splashdown off the coast of Florida about 1:00 p.m. Monday, April 25."

Axiom stated that the return schedule was a decision made based on the best weather conditions for the splashdown of the first private astronaut mission as well as the return trajectory required to safely return the crew and SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft to Earth.

The hatch closure, undocking, and splashdown parts of the Ax-1 return will be broadcast in three different segments over the course of two days. On AxiomSpace.com, space enthusiasts will be able to access all parts of the live coverage.

Ax-1's return to Earth live coverage will begin on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the hatch closure scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET. Coverage of the undocking will continue at 8:30 p.m. local time. It will resume on Monday at 12 p.m. ET for Dragon's re-entry and splashdown.

Axiom's First Space Mission

As Axiom's first ever crew to the ISS are all paying individuals, numerous people are curious as to how much the Ax-1 crew was paid. On top of that, another question people are curious about is regarding circumstances like this. Will the crew still be charged for additional payment with the days extended due to the weather delays?

As CNN reported, NASA stated that " the extra days the AX-1 crew spent in space due to weather won't add to their own personal overall price tag."

Since the ISS is government-funded and operated, the mission was made feasible by close collaboration between Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA.

Ax-1 was launched on April 8 to the ISS with a planned 10-day mission. The days spent on the ISS by the Ax-1 crew were originally scheduled to be packed with scientific research and testing.

In order to keep up with their demanding schedule of scientific study, technology demonstrations, and public outreach engagements, the Axiom Space astronauts have learned to operate on little sleep and with little downtime in between.

In the meantime, as they prepare to depart, the team is continuing to work while also taking some additional time to take in the breathtaking vistas of the blue planet and reflect on the enormous amount of work that was successfully performed throughout the trip.