The hatch between the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft and the International Space Station (ISS) closed at 9:20 a.m. EDT, the start of readying the vehicle for undocking for the Ax-2 crew’s return to Earth.
The vehicle is anticipated to undock at approximately 11:00 a.m. EDT on May 30, 2023.
Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX will provide joint coverage of the undocking of the Dragon spacecraft with the Ax-2 crew at 10:45 a.m. EDT. Following undocking on May 30, Axiom Space and SpaceX will provide joint webcast coverage of the crew’s return to Earth.
The Ax-2 crew, Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, will splash down off the coast of Florida at approximately 11:09 a.m. EDT. Coverage of the Ax-2 crew, Dragon’s re-entry, and splashdown will be available via Axiom Space and SpaceX beginning about an hour ahead of splashdown. You find updates on hatch closure, undocking, and splashdown here.
Mission teams will monitor weather at the possible splashdown sites prior to undocking to ensure conditions are acceptable for a safe recovery of the spacecraft and Ax-2 astronauts.
During the Ax-2 mission, the four-person multinational astronaut crew conducted more than 20 different experiments while aboard the space station, made possible by Axiom Space’s full-service integration into the NASA process for science and technology activities onboard the ISS. Data collected in-flight will impact understanding of human physiology on Earth and on-orbit, as well as establish the utility of novel technologies that could be used for future human spaceflight pursuits and to benefit humankind on Earth. Axiom Space’s partnerships offer the opportunity to expand the commercial space economy and support commercial innovations and manufacturing of biomedical products and advanced materials in low-Earth orbit.