SpaceX’s subsequent astronaut launch for NASA has been delayed till no less than Saturday (Nov. 6) by a “minor medical issue” affecting a crewmember, company officers mentioned.
The mission, often called Crew-3, had been scheduled to carry off early Wednesday morning (Nov. 3) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The earliest it may now launch is 11:36 p.m. EDT on Saturday night (Nov. 6; 0336 GMT on Nov. 7).
“The issue is not a medical emergency and not related to COVID-19,” NASA officers said in an update today (Nov. 1).
Live updates: SpaceX’s Crew-3 astronaut mission
Crew-3 will ship NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Kayla Barron and Thomas Marshburn, and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Matthias Maurer, to the International Space Station for a six-month keep. The quartet will experience to the orbiting lab in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which can launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA didn’t establish which crewmember is experiencing the medical situation, nor did it describe the problem in any element. It’s unclear if and once we’ll be taught rather more, given the privateness considerations and concerns surrounding well being.
The Crew-3 astronauts stay in quarantine at KSC, company officers mentioned. This is a part of regular prelaunch routine. The Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 “are in good shape and will remain at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy,” NASA officers wrote within the replace.
As its identify implies, Crew-3 is the third operational mission SpaceX will fly to the station for NASA. The second, Crew-2, launched to the orbiting lab in April and is scheduled to return to Earth quickly.
The company continues to be evaluating dates for the departure of Crew-2, whose members are NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA’s Thomas Pesquet.
Crew-3 was initially speculated to launch early Sunday morning (Oct. 31). NASA and SpaceX stood down from that try due to anticipated unhealthy climate, nevertheless, pushing the liftoff to Wednesday on the earliest.
Mike Wall is the writer of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a ebook in regards to the seek for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
