NASA, SpaceX delay launch of Crew-6 mission to February 27
NASA and SpaceX have decided to delay the launch of Crew-6, a crewed mission to the International Space Station. The mission, which will transport four astronauts to the space station, will now take off on February 27. Previously, the launch was scheduled on February 26. The decision to postpone Crew-6's launch comes after an extensive Flight Readiness Review, conducted on February 21.
Why does this story matter?
Crew-6 will be the sixth astronaut mission that SpaceX will launch to the ISS, for NASA. In addition to the six missions, the company has previously launched two other crewed missions to the space station, including the Demo-2 test flight for NASA in 2020 and Ax-1 (Axion Mission 1) in April 2022. Ax-1 was a privately-funded mission operated by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company.
The launch will take place from NASA's Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch Crew-6's Dragon capsule Endeavour at 1:45 am EST (12:15 pm IST) on February 27. The mission will lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The four-membered crew includes two NASA astronauts, Stephen Bowen (Mission Commander) and Warren Hoburg (Pilot), UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Alneyadi and Fedyaev will serve as mission specialists.
Crew-6 astronauts will spend up to 6 months at ISS
The astronauts on the Crew-6 mission will spend up to six months at the space station before returning to Earth. The mission marks the fourth spaceflight for Bowen, who previously flew three space shuttle missions: STS-126 in 2008, STS-132 in 2010, and STS-133 in 2011. Crew-6 will be the first spaceflight for the other crew members, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev.
What was the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) about?
Talking about the FRR held on February 21, it focused on the preparedness of SpaceX's crew transportation system, the space station, and its international partners to support the flight, as well as the certification of flight readiness, said NASA. The delay in the launch will allow the teams to work on a few minor issues with the Endeavour capsule and the Falcon 9 rocket.
The mission will be cleared for liftoff after the analysis
The team intends to further analyze the thermal performance of the "pod panels" that cover Endeavour's exterior, said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. They will also take a look at the composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) in Falcon 9, present in the rocket's liquid-oxygen tank. Once the work has been completed, the mission will be cleared for liftoff.
Currently aboard the ISS are the Crew-5 astronauts
The Crew-5 mission is currently aboard the ISS. The crew includes NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann, Japan's Koichi Wakata, and cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The four astronauts are expected to return to Earth about five days after welcoming the Crew-6 mission members.
