Axiom-3 space mission's return postponed

WASHINGTON

The return of the Axiom-3 Mission crew from the International Space Station (ISS) was postponed due to "unfavorable recovery conditions," SpaceX has announced.

"Due to ongoing unfavorable weather off the coast of Florida, Dragon is standing down from Tuesday's undocking from the @Space_Station," the private space company said Monday on X about the return of the crew, including Türkiye's first space traveler Alper Gezeravci, on its Dragon capsule.

"The spacecraft and Ax-3 crew remain healthy, and teams will continue to monitor weather conditions for the next available undocking opportunity," it added.

The four-person mission was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida on Jan. 19 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The Ax-3 space mission crew docked at the ISS on Jan. 20.

Gezeravci and his three crewmates from Spain, Italy, and Sweden was responsible for carrying out over 30 scientific experiments.