Photo: NASA
Following the initial delay of SpaceX’s Crew-3 mission to November 3, NASA has once again delayed the mission’s launch, this time due to a medical problem.
NASA will delay the launch of SpaceX’s Crew-3 mission, citing a non-emergency, minor medical issue with one of its crew medicals, according to a press release. The agency has clarified that the medical issue is also not related to COVID-19, though other details haven’t been released.
In addition, NASA said that the Crew-3 astronauts will remain in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and will continue to prepare for their launch.
As they monitor the crew’s health, the earliest possible launch SpaceX will consider is November 6, with a launch window beginning at 11:36 p.m. ET.
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The SpaceX Crew-3 mission, when it does happen, is set to include NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron, as well as European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer. The astronauts will stay aboard the Internation Space Station (ISS) until the latter part of April 2022.
The SpaceX Crew-3 mission will launch using the Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket, which are currently located at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A.
NASA is also considering return dates for the SpaceX Crew-2 mission, which launched to the ISS in April.
