NASA and SpaceX Delay Historic Astronaut Launch Due to Stormy Weather
NASA and SpaceX scrub their historic Demo-2 mission just minutes before liftoff due to severe weather conditions in Florida. The team now prepares for a second launch attempt on Saturday.
NASA and SpaceX postpone their historic joint mission to send astronauts to the International Space Station due to inclement weather at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Officials cancel the launch less than 20 minutes before the scheduled liftoff, citing too much electricity in the atmosphere. The mission is now rescheduled for Saturday, May 30, at 3:22 p.m. Eastern time.
This launch represents a major milestone for the American space program because it marks the first time astronauts launch from United States soil since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. The mission also ends a nearly ten-year reliance on Russian rockets to transport American astronauts to the orbiting laboratory. Furthermore, this flight serves as the first crewed mission for Elon Musk's private aerospace company, SpaceX.
If Saturday's attempt succeeds, NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will travel to the International Space Station inside a Crew Dragon spacecraft propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket. Despite the disappointment of the weather delay, NASA leadership praises the collaboration between the space agency and SpaceX. Ground crews safely assist the astronauts out of the capsule and send them back to quarantine while they wait for the next launch window.