Cape Canaveral, Nov. 7 (BUS): High winds off the coast of Florida have prompted SpaceX to delay the return of four astronauts to orbit since spring.
American, French and Japanese astronauts were supposed to leave the International Space Station on Sunday, with their capsule falling into the Gulf of Mexico on Monday morning.
But with winds blowing over safety limits, SpaceX shocked departures until Monday afternoon, with a nightly return to finish its six-month mission, according to the Associated Press.
The good news is that their journey home will now take eight hours, less than half the previous time. The toilet in their pod is broken, so the four will need to rely on diapers while they get home.
SpaceX is still aiming to launch its alternatives Wednesday night at the earliest. This flight was also delayed due to bad weather, as well as an undisclosed medical problem to the astronaut. Officials said the issue, which has been described as minor, should be resolved by launch date.
Last week, SpaceX and NASA upended the launch and landing order due to worsening weather and a looming deadline to retrieve the capsule from the space station. SpaceX capsules have been certified for a maximum of 210 days in orbit, and the capsules there are now approaching 200 days.
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