CAPE CAÑAVERAL, Florida, USA (AP) – SpaceX had to delay the return to Earth of four of its astronauts due to strong winds off the coast of Florida.
Astronauts – Americans, French and Japanese – have been on the International Space Station since spring.
They were to leave the station on Sunday and fall into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Monday morning. But due to the force of the winds in that region, SpaceX postponed the water landing until Monday afternoon, which will end the six-month mission.
The good news is that the return trip will be eight hours, less than half the previous opportunity. The toilet in the capsule is broken, so the astronauts have had to wear diapers.
SpaceX is still scheduling replacement astronauts into space Wednesday night. That flight was also postponed due to bad weather and a health problem for one of the astronauts, which has not been specified. The organizers insist that it is a minor problem that will be solved before takeoff.
Last week SpaceX and NASA exchanged landing and takeoff times, due to bad weather and the need to meet the deadline for the return of the capsule. SpaceX capsules are certified to last a maximum of 210 days in orbit, and that capsule is almost 200 days old.
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