NASA, SpaceX's first operational manned mission delayed until November
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 crew members are seen seated in the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft during crew equipment interface training. From left to right are NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; and Mike Hopkins, Cre
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - NASA announced on Saturday the delay of SpaceX's first operational Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station.
The launch was scheduled for Oct. 31, but now officials say it is delayed until "no sooner than early-to-mid November.
According to NASA's blog, it said:
"Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station is now targeted for no sooner than early-to-mid November, providing additional time for SpaceX to complete hardware testing and data reviews as the company evaluates off-nominal behavior of Falcon 9 first stage engine gas generators observed during a recent non-NASA mission launch attempt. Through the agency’s Commercial Crew and Launch Services Programs partnership with SpaceX, NASA has full insight into the company’s launch and testing data."
According to Spaceflightnow.com, the reason for the delay is to allow time for SpaceX to resolve an issue with Falcon 9 rocket engines that scrubbed a recent launch attempt with a GPS navigation satellite.