---
title: "Astronauts Stranded in Space Due to Hurricane Milton"
description: "Four people were meant to head home from the ISS this week on a SpaceX shuttle — and are now stuck thanks to Hurricane Milton."
date: "2024-10-08"
modified: "2024-10-08"
authors:
  - name: "Noor Al-Sibai"
    job_title: "Senior Staff Writer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronauts-stranded-hurricane-milton"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "hurricanes"
  - "NASA"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# Astronauts Stranded in Space Due to Hurricane Milton

![Four people were meant to head home from the ISS this week on a SpaceX shuttle — and are now stuck thanks to Hurricane Milton.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/astronauts-stranded-hurricane-milton.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA / Aubrey Gemignani\</em\>*

## Storm Surge

Three astronauts and one cosmonaut were scheduled to head home this week on board a SpaceX spacecraft.

But thanks to the [dangerous mega storm](<https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/milton-forecast-hurricane-tracker/?id=114553995>) currently brewing in the Atlantic, they are stuck on board the International Space Station a little while longer.

NASA has announced that the crew for its latest return mission won't be able to leave until at least October 13. It's the [second time](<https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/>) the agency has had to scrub the date due to the rapidly-approaching Hurricane Milton.

"NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 3:05 am EDT Sunday, Oct. 13, for the undocking of the Crew-8 mission from the International Space Station due to weather conditions and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton across the Florida peninsula," an [agency statement reads](<https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/>).

Though [Tampa is prepping](<https://x.com/NWSTampaBay/status/1843521572176589083>) for the worst of the Category 4 storm, NASA's Kennedy Space Station launch center is located only about 130 miles away in Cape Canaveral, which will [certainly feel the brunt of Milton](<https://www.floridatoday.com/story/weather/hurricanes/2024/10/07/port-canaveral-expected-to-close-ahead-of-hurricane-milton/75552830007/>) as well.

Beyond the astronauts delayed by Milton, NASA and SpaceX's Europa Clipper mission to Neptune's mysterious moon was also pushed back due to the storm. It was [supposed to launch on Thursday](<https://www.space.com/spacex-nasa-europa-clipper-launch-delay-hurricane-milton>) — and its [launch window](<https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/launch-windows/>) is rapidly closing.

## Close Quarters

While their return delay is not all that long compared to the astronauts who [hitched a ride](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-spacecraft-more-leaks>) on Boeing's cursed Starliner in June only to be stuck there until [at least February](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-admits-tension-boeing-starliner>), the Crew-8 mission members have been on board the ISS [since March](<https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-8-astronauts-return-earth-delay-hurricane-milton>).

Things are pretty crowded on board the space station. There are currently [11 people on board the orbital lab](<https://whoisinspace.com/>) right now: the two stranded [Starliner astronauts](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-starliner-empty-spacesuits>), the four-person [Crew-8 team](<https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crew-8/>), two cosmonauts and one astronaut that [hitched a ride](<https://www.space.com/international-space-station-soyuz-ms-26-launch>) on a Russian Soyuz rocket, and [two new arrivals](<https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crew-9/>) from SpaceX's Crew-9.

It's been an awkward year for astronauts traveling to and from the space station. From technical issues-prone spacecraft to massive hurricanes, it's never been harder to stick to a launch schedule.

**More on ISS drama:** [*Grounded Astronauts Angry They Were Forced to Give Up Their Seats for Stranded Starliner Crew*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/grounded-astronauts-seats-stranded-starliner>)

## Author
At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/noorfromfuturism.bsky.social>)