The Ax-1 crew inside the SpaceX Dragon. Photo courtesy of SpaceX.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The teams at Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX have decided to postponed undocking of the Ax-1 mission until Sunday, April 24 due to high winds at the splashdown site. New dates posted below. (April 23, 2022)
EDITOR’S NOTE: This document has been updated and new times have been included for hatch closure and undocking. (April 21, 2022)
UPDATED: Houston, 23 April 2022 - After two weeks in space, a date has been set for the Ax-1 crew to conclude their historic mission on the International Space Station and return home to Earth.
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. The decision was made based on the best weather for splashdown of the first private astronaut mission to visit the International Space Station and the return trajectory required to bring the crew and the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft back to Earth safely.
Coverage of the Ax-1 return will include three separate segments over two days - hatch closure, undocking and splashdown. All segments will be available at AxiomSpace.com
Live coverage of departure activities will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with hatch closure targeted for 6:45 p.m. Coverage will resume at 8:30 p.m. for the undocking. On Monday, coverage will pickup again for Dragon’s re-entry and splashdown beginning at 12:00 p.m.
Teams will continue to monitor weather at the splashdown sites prior to undocking to ensure conditions are acceptable for a safe recovery of the Ax-1 astronauts and Dragon spacecraft.
NASA and Axiom mission planning prepared for the possibility of additional time on station for the private astronauts, and there are sufficient provisions for all 11 crew members aboard the space station. The Ax-1 crew continues to work through previously planned mission activities. The Ax-1 crew and Dragon spacecraft remain healthy.
Ax-1 is the first of several proposed Axiom missions to the International Space Station and an important step toward Axiom Station, the world’s first private space station, which will serve as a hub in low-Earth orbit for research and exploration.
Ax-1 Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Larry Connor, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy will complete 16 days in space at the conclusion of their mission. SpaceX Dragon Endeavour, the Ax-1 spacecraft, will return to Earth with more than 200 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments, hardware and commercial science payloads.
All live coverage will be available at AxiomSpace.com. The full schedule includes:
HATCH CLOSURE
6:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, April 24
Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m., with hatch closure targeted for 6:45 p.m. Coverage will conclude shortly after hatch closure and will be available on AxiomSpace.com and NASA.gov/live.
UNDOCKING
8:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, April 24
Coverage of the undocking of the Dragon Endeavour with the AX-1 crew begins at 8:30 p.m. Undocking will occur at approximately 8:55 p.m. The webcast will conclude on Sunday around 9:15 p.m. after Dragon fully departs the protected area around the ISS. The webcast will be available on AxiomSpace.com, NASA.gov/live and SpaceX’s YouTube channel.
SPLASHDOWN
12:00 p.m. ET, Monday, April 25
Coverage will begin at 12:00 p.m. with splashdown targeted for 1:00 p.m. The webcast will continue through the recovery of the Dragon and the Axiom astronauts. Coverage will conclude at around 2:15 p.m., once the crew is safely out of the spacecraft. Watch events live on AxiomSpace.com and SpaceX’s YouTube channel.
POST-SPLASHDOWN TELECONFERENCE
3:30 p.m. ET, Monday, April 25
Following splashdown, Axiom Space and SpaceX leadership will provide remarks and take questions from reporters via teleconference. Participants include:
Derek Hassmann, Operations Director, Axiom Space
Benjamin Reed, Senior Director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
To participate in the briefing media must request call-in details no later than 8 a.m. Monday, April 25, by emailing media@axiomspace.com. This is a teleconference-only event (not in-person) with audio-only.
This information will be updated as times are confirmed for events related to mission operations. Follow along for mission updates with #Ax1 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, as well as our website.