For the second time in a week postpones launch of four astronauts to International Space Station with its rocket spacecraft SpaceX the NASA.
The space agency invoked medical issue for one of the crew members of the space mission without disclosing further details. According to NASA, the issue that arose “is not of a medical urgency and is not related to COVID-19». However, he declined to give further details about the nature of the problem or to announce which of the astronauts was involved.
The launch was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was later postponed until Wednesday due to unstable weather, and is now scheduled for Saturday night, according to NASA.
The last time NASA delayed a scheduled launch for medical reasons was the flight crew of the Atlantis space shuttle in 1990, when the mission commander, John Oliver Criton, felt unwell. The launch was postponed for three days, until he was deemed fit for the flight, according to NASA. The delay was followed by two additional launch delays, related to the prevailing weather conditions.
When is the launch scheduled?
The SpaceX spacecraft, scheduled to launch at the weekend, consists of the crew space capsule Dragon, which is carried by a Falcon 9 carrier rocket.
The launch is scheduled to take place at 11:36 p.m. Saturday (local time) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
If all goes well, the three American astronauts and their colleague from the European Space Agency (ESA) will arrive in 22 hours and will be attached to the International Space Station, located at a height of 400 kilometers above the earth, in order to begin a six-month scientific mission inside the space station and in orbit around the earth.
For now, according to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, the four crew members of the space mission will remain in quarantine routine at the space center’s facilities as they continue to prepare for their launch, according to NASA.
In the event of a successful launch on Saturday, it will be fifth astronaut transport mission from SpaceX to date. The company’s first launch of space tourism took place in September, sending the first crew of citizens for space tourism into orbit.
For NASA, this is the fourth space crew mission to the International Space Station with SpaceX’s space transport system in 17 months, through a public-private partnership. The rocket company was founded by Ίλον Μασκ in 2002. He has also founded the electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
