Published 14:39 IST, November 14th 2020
SpaceX-NASA delay Crew-1 astronaut launch due to rocket recovery weather
The mission in collaboration with Elon Musk’s SpaceX is rocketing four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Kennedy Space Center
On November 13, NASA announced that it postponed the launch of the historic NASA-SpaceX mission dubbed “Crew-1” to November 15 at 7:27 p.m. EST due to onshore winds and unfavourable weather. The mission in collaboration with Elon Musk’s SpaceX is rocketing four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi were prepared for the first operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, a part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The mission, now rescheduled, was ready to launch at 7:49 pm EST, Saturday, Nov. 14 from Complex 39 A of Kennedy Space Center. "Due to onshore winds and recovery operations, @NASA and @SpaceX are targeting launch of the Crew-1 mission with astronauts to the @Space_Station at 7:27 p.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 15 (0027 GMT Monday)," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted.
According to NASA, the ‘recovery operations’ are carried out when the space mission is aborted and the crew splashes down in the ocean. NASA program had sought to launch a manned mission with vessels and equipment developed by private companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX founded in 2002. "The history being made this time is we're launching what we call an operational flight to the International Space Station," Bridenstine told reporters at a press conference ahead of launch. But the mission was postponed once more due to the unpredictable weather.
[SpaceX's first four-astronaut launch for NASA is delayed for at least an extra day to get off the ground. Credit: SpaceX]
[The four astronauts of NASA and SpaceX's Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station pose for a portrait during a launch rehearsal at Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: NASA]
US Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron
The weather forecasts for the launch was provided by the US Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron situated along the East Coast of the United States, which includes Cape Canaveral, Florida, a location where a majority of US-based launches take place. “High winds can prevent crews from hoisting a spacecraft onto the top of a rocket. Thunderstorms can stop all activities on the launch pad,” Steven Siceloff, NASA weather curator said in a release. High winds near the ground could result in postponing the launch altogether as it might lead to control problems of the rocket, according to SpaceX.
Updated 14:39 IST, November 14th 2020