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ISS astronauts clear spot for Axiom crew

Like shuffling cars around in the driveway, space station astronauts moved a Crew Dragon capsule to make room for an incoming Axiom crew.

NASA

Weekend weather conditions around Kennedy Space Center look mostly favorable for SpaceX's next launch, which will send four private astronauts to the International Space Station.

The Axiom-2 mission for Axiom Space and NASA, set for liftoff at 5:37 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 21, has a 60% chance of "go" conditions according to a Space Force weather report released Thursday. Pad 39A will host.

After liftoff, former NASA astronautPeggy Whitson, Axiom-2 mission commander, joined by private spaceflight participantJohn Shoffnerand government-sponsored Saudi Arabian astronauts Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, will spend about a day in orbit catching up to the ISS. If Falcon 9 launches as planned on Sunday, Crew Dragon should arrive at the ISS at 9:30 a.m. EDT Monday, May 22.

The crew is planned to spend eight days docked to the space station to experience what it's like to live in orbit. They will spend time working on numerous science, communication, and educational outreach projects before they return for a splashdown landing in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico.

Astronauts in space: Can they eat, tweet, shower, FaceTime, use TikTok or Spotify? Mostly yes

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Everything we know: Meet the private Axiom-2 crew set for launch from Kennedy Space Center on Sunday

A weather system likely to produce thunderstorms during the afternoon this weekend may pose a threat to launch conditions.

"Another boundary begins to move into the Southeast U.S. on Saturday, extending the lower storm coverage near the spaceport," Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Thursday.

The primary concerns for liftoff on Sunday are cumulus and anvil clouds that could produce lightning.

"On Sunday, the boundary will likely be close to Central Florida, again providing a focusing mechanism for afternoon and evening convection," forecasters said. "Luckily, the prevailing flow will allow the east coast sea breeze to move inland, keeping most storms away from the spaceport."

Shortly after liftoff, the Falcon 9 booster will somersault and target Landing Zone 1 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, bringing with it sonic booms. Forecasters listed conditions for booster recovery as "low risk."

The 230-foot rocket and crew capsule must launch exactly on time during the instantaneous window or delay to another day. Unfortunately, weather conditions are expected to deteriorate substantially for the backup launch opportunity about 24 hours later on Monday, May 22.

"The primary launch weather concerns for a Monday evening attempt include cumulus, debris, and anvil clouds associated with the thunderstorms," forecasters said, predicting only a 20% chance of "go" conditions for Monday.

Beyond Monday, NASA officials said teams would have to stand down until a future date could be determined to best fit into a busy summer at the station, which includes the first crewed flight demonstration of the Boeing Starliner capsule in July and NASA's Crew-7 mission with SpaceX no earlier than August.

Look for FLORIDA TODAY's live launch coverage to begin 90 minutes before liftoff athttps://www.floridatoday.com/space/. For the latest, visitfloridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Jamie Groh is a space reporter for Florida Today. You can contact her at JGroh@floridatoday.com. Follow her onTwitter at @AlteredJamie.

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Weather OK for Sunday's SpaceX Axiom-2 private astronaut launch to ISS - Florida Today