Astrophysics enthusiasts will have to wait a little longer before seeing Thomas Pesquet take to the skies again. Initially scheduled for Thursday, the manned flight of NASA and SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS) is postponed by one day. In question: the unfavorable weather, announced the American space agency, Wednesday, April 21. The flight is scheduled to take place at 5:49 a.m. (9:49 a.m. GMT) on Friday, instead of Thursday at 6:11 a.m. (10:11 a.m. GMT).
Even if the conditions around the launch site were to be favorable for takeoff, the teams must also take into account “the conditions along the flight path,” Nasa said in a statement. The mission will take off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The US space agency predicts a 90% probability of favorable weather conditions for takeoff. As for the weather, it should also “improve” along the flight path. The wind remains “the main meteorological concern” regarding takeoff.
Frenchman Thomas Pesquet on board
This is SpaceX’s second mission to the International Space Station since the United States resumed manned space flights and the first with a European on board: Frenchman Thomas Pesquet. The mission, dubbed Crew-2, also includes two American astronauts, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, as well as the Japanese Akihiko Hoshide. All of them have already been in space.
SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, has established itself with NASA for space transport at a time when Boeing’s Starliner capsule accumulates delays in its test flights. The success in May 2020 of SpaceX’s first manned test flight broke the Russian monopoly on flights to the ISS and gave the Americans back the ability to accomplish this feat, after the “Shuttle” space shuttle program ended in 2011. L he team of astronauts will be responsible for carrying out many scientific experiments, such as examining the effects of weightlessness on brain organoids (mini-brains created in the laboratory). Another big part of the mission was to upgrade the station’s solar power system by installing new compact panels that roll out like a huge yoga mat.
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