(Updated) NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 departure from space station delayed due to weather

NASA said Friday that the departure of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission from the International Space Station has been delayed due to unfavourable weather conditions near the splashdown sites off the coast of Florida. The undocking, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 2, has been deferred by a day to Sunday, September 3, pending weather evaluations.

Crew-6, comprising NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, as well as UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, are all set for a return trip to Earth following a nearly six-month science mission in orbit.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, is in a healthy state while currently docked to the space station.

"Crew-6's Dragon undocking depends on a variety of factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors," NASA said in a statement on Friday.

Weather delay: @NASA and @SpaceX are standing down from the Sept. 2, departure of #Crew6 from the @Space_Station.The next available undocking opportunity is no earlier than 7:05am ET on Sept. 3, with a splashdown no earlier than 12:07am ET on Sept. 4.https://t.co/wtlYbi9d7q pic.twitter.com/ioKq6XD4XZ

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) September 1, 2023

NASA will provide live coverage of the upcoming return activities for the Crew-6 mission.

Update 1

Dragon undocked from the station's Harmony module at 7:05 a.m. EDT on Sunday, September 3, to begin its journey back home. The spacecraft with four crewmates aboard will splash down at approx. 12:07 a.m. EDT Monday, September 4, near Tampa off the coast of Florida.

The #Crew6 astronauts are headed home after 186 days in space.The @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the @Space_Station at 7:05am ET today. Tune in tonight for our live splashdown coverage on NASA TV. https://t.co/0tGwqaT5ZB pic.twitter.com/3ApuAmo49a

— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) September 3, 2023

Update 2

Crew-6 space travellers successfully splashed down at 12:17 am ET (0417 UTC) on Monday, September 4, after 186 days in space.