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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts splash down off Florida panhandle

Crew-2 is the second of six NASA/SpaceX joint missions through the Commercial Crew Program. The initiative has seen astronauts launching again from American soil.

TAMPA, Fla. — NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission returned home Monday night after being delayed due to high winds near Florida.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, splashed down at 10:33 p.m. ET Monday into the Gulf of Mexico.

Previously, the undocking was scheduled for Sunday. But, a planned weather review showed unfavorable wind conditions for recovering the spacecraft near the splashdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

Aboard Endeavour were NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

The crew completed 199 days in orbit. And, they brought back roughly 530 pounds of hardware and scientific research projects, according to NASA.

Due to Crew-2's splashdown, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission is expected to launch no earlier than 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, so the missions do not overlap.

NASA says Crew-3 will blast into outer space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on Florida's east coast. The goal is for Crew Dragon Endurance to dock with the space station shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday.

HOW TO STREAM THE CREW-2 RETURN TO EARTH: You can watch coverage of the Crew-2 return below via two separate video streams. Hatch closure coverage is expected to begin at 11:45 a.m. ET. Coverage of the 2:05 p.m. undocking is slated to start at 1:45 p.m., and then NASA will offer continuous coverage until the splashdown that's set for 10:33 p.m. ET. 

STREAM 1: Hatch closure coverage

STREAM 2: Undocking of Crew Dragon

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