NASA Delays SpaceX Crew-3 Mission Again? Bad Weather, Possible Crew-2 Landing Hampers Departure

Due to weather circumstances, NASA has pushed back the launch of SpaceX Crew-3 till next week. In addition to the launch delay, NASA is investigating the possibility of Crew-2 returning this week.

Florida Today said the Space Force's weekend weather forecasts revealed less-than-ideal downrange conditions for Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon. The weather appears to be improving for a Monday night launch, with an 80 percent chance of success, although circumstances along the rocket's flight path remain "moderate risk."

Depending on the conditions for a splashdown or launch, mission teams will pick which team to prioritize in the next days. According to WESH, teams are also calculating the amount of time required between launch and return operations.

Officials now scheduled Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, and Matthias Maurer of NASA and the European Space Agency to travel in a Crew Dragon capsule on Monday evening. The revised timeframe for this mission, dubbed Crew-3, is speculative and dependent on several circumstances that have yet to be determined.

NASA Delays SpaceX Crew-3 Mission Again?

The launch of the Crew-3 mission has been postponed even again by SpaceX and NASA. The latest postponement is due to the bad weather this Saturday. Hence, officials rescheduled the flight to November 8, Space.com reported.

The Crew-3 mission, which was supposed to launch on October 31, was supposed to carry four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month stay. Due to unfavorable weather circumstances, Science Times earlier reported that officials pushed the Crew-3 launch to November 3.

According to an earlier Science Times story, officials subsequently postponed the launch for the second time owing to one of the four astronauts encountering a minor medical condition.

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Crew-2 Arrival Further Delays Crew-3 Departure

The weather will not be the sole issue in determining the Crew-3 mission's new launch date. The return of the Crew-2 mission is another issue that might further delay the Crew-3 mission's launch.

"Mission teams are now considering whether to return the agency's SpaceX Crew-2 mission from the space station ahead of launching the next crew rotation due to the associated weather conditions for both launch and recovery operations," NASA wrote in a blog post.

According to the same Space.com report, officials indicated Crew-2 is in a schedule constraint. They added that the Dragon spacecraft is designed to stay in orbit for seven months. As a result, NASA had to return the Crew-2 members to Earth before sending the Crew-3 crew into space.

On November 7, Sunday, at 1:05 p.m. EST, the Crew-2 mission can undock from the ISS at the earliest possible moment. The mission may also undock on November 8 if it is not possible for any reason.

The Crew-3 mission may be able to launch on November 8 at 9:51 p.m. EST if the Crew-2 mission is unable to undock from the ISS on both days.