STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS AND USED WITH PERMISSION
The launch of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that will bring four astronauts to the International Space Station has been delayed 24 hours to Friday due to inclement weather in the Atlantic Ocean, where the crew could be forced to get on the water in an emergency, announced NASA on Wednesday.
Originally scheduled for launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, the flight reset at 5:49 a.m. Friday, roughly when Earth’s rotation carries path 39A directly below the space station’s orbit path – a requirement for spacecraft that attempt to encounter a target in low Earth orbit.
“We will have to postpone one day, we will not be able to launch tomorrow morning,” Spaceport Director Bob Cabana told reporters. “While the weather will likely look fantastic here at the launch site, we are concerned about those downwinds and wave heights in the event of a breakdown should that happen.
“Once this front comes through it’s going to be absolutely beautiful Friday morning, we’ll come out and do it again.”
If all goes well Friday, Commander Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Japanese aviator Akihiko Hoshide will overtake the space station Saturday, automatically docking at around 5:10 a.m. for a planned six-month stay.
Unlike the space shuttle, which could glide to runways in the United States, Spain, or Africa in the event of an in-flight abortion, the parachute-equipped Crew Dragon is designed to safely plunge into the ocean when the automated escape system is deployed. activated, propelling the vessel from a faulty blower.
Relatively calm seas and winds are required for a safe splashdown and for successful recovery of the Falcon 9’s first stage on a barge.
While a flight is unlikely to be aborted in-flight, flight rules require acceptable offshore conditions before a Crew Dragon is released for launch. Better weather is expected on Friday, both ashore and abroad.
“It’s not just about the launch (the weather) when we launch the crew,” Benji Reed, director of manned space flight for SpaceX, said during a pre-flight briefing Tuesday. “We have to worry about the whole climbing trajectory because if something goes wrong, we want Dragon to be able to escape from the rocket. And that means they should be able to get past that potential escape into the ocean at all points.
“We look at wind and wave height and lightning, all kinds of things to make sure it’s right.”
Kimbrough and his three crew members replace the crew of another Dragon capsule – Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi – launched to the station last November on the first operational flight of the commercial crew program.
Despite the delay in launching their replacements, Hopkins and the company still plan to return to Earth next Wednesday, as previously planned, and plunge into the Gulf of Mexico at 12:40 a.m. 164-day mission.