Mission delayed: NASA pushes SpaceX Crew-4 mission to April 23, astronauts remain isolated

Astronauts of the Crew-4 mission heading to the International Space Station (ISS) will have to wait a little longer as NASA has pushed the mission by a couple of days. Earlier scheduled for April 21, the mission would launch no earlier than April 23, the agency informed in a mission update. “The date adjustment provides mission teams time to complete final prelaunch processing for the Crew-4 mission following the April 8 launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the space station”, NASA’s statement read. 

Currently, mission teams are continuously monitoring operational timelines with ongoing space activities, including spacewalks and return of the Ax-1 crew. In addition to this, the monitoring also includes keeping a watch on the weather forecast for launch operations. If the mission is not launched on the new date, April 24 and April 25 have also been reserved as backup opportunities. 

Currently, the liftoff is targeted on April 23 at 2:56 pm (IST) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew-4 team, which includes four astronauts, will board the ‘Freedom’ Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket provided by SpaceX.

Astronauts remain in quarantine

The Crew- 4 team includes three NASA astronauts- Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins and one European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. All of the members were put into quarantine starting April 7 and were supposed to be isolated for two weeks before their flight. Quarantining before a mission is important because it ensures that astronauts remain in good health. This measure is also taken to protect the astronauts already aboard the ISS.

 NASA says that it is ensuring additional safeguards since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. Each of the members will be tested twice for the virus as a precaution along with those who make direct contact with the crew. As for the mission, Lindgren has been chosen as the mission commander whereas Watkins and Cristoforetti will serve as mission specialists. Hines, on the other hand, will serve as the mission pilot.

Image: Twitter/@Commercial_Crew