SpaceX to launch Crew-3 on November 10 as weather turns 80% favourable for liftoff

Keeping its finger crossed ahead of launch, SpaceX on Monday announced that the Falcon 9 rocket will propel from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on November 10. The rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon 'Endurance' spacecraft will have onboard four astronauts- NASA's Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and ESA's Matthias Maurer for the rotational Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). In a tweet posted on November 8, SpaceX revealed that the weather is 80% favourable for the launch, and if successful, it will be the company's third long-duration crew mission.

Notably, this launch is after the Crew-2 astronauts- NASA's Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and JAXA's Akihiko Hoshide- splashdown in the ocean. Until now, the mission has unfortunately been eclipsed by delays, that have been caused due to several factors.

Crew-2 astronauts scheduled to depart on November 9

In a tweet shared yesterday, NASA informed that the Crew-2 astronauts are scheduled to depart on November 9, as the Dragon spacecraft will undock from the ISS at 12:35 am and splashdown at around 9 am. Previously the plan was to send Crew-3 ahead of Crew-2's arrival but the villainous behaviour of weather prompted the agencies to act otherwise. Their arrival was also delayed by one day as they were supposed to undock yesterday but were unable to, owing to the unfavourable splashdown weather conditions in the Gulf of Mexico.

All four members of the latter crew will face slight inconvenience as the waste management problem with SpaceX capsules, that emerged them, will keep them from using the toilet during their journey to Earth. The team will be made to wear diapers in case they feel the need to relieve themselves during the flight.

The Falcon 9 rocket, which is supposed to carry the Crew-3 astronauts, is waiting at the launch site ever since it was rolled out on the launch site on October 28. The launch, which was originally scheduled for a Halloween launch on October 31, has been delayed thrice once due to a minor medical condition and others due to unfavourable weather. This mission is truly testing the patience of members of the crew as they have undergone multiple tests, including a full dress rehearsal, for a mission that seems to have no end. The launch will be SpaceX's third long-duration crew flight, after its recent success of the Inspiration4 mission. 

Image: Twitter/@SpaceX