NASA postpones new launch of Crew-3; Crew-2 astronauts may return soon

The Crew-3 mission, which will carry a new quartet of astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), was initially scheduled to launch on October 31. However, it had to be postponed twice due to weather conditions and the health of one of the crew. The scheduled closing date was the next Sunday (7), the date on which NASA It had to be postponed once again. There is still no new release date set, while NASA and SpaceX Continue to evaluate new opportunities, and are also considering prioritizing the return of the Crew-2 mission.

The team continues to monitor the astronaut who had health problems, which should be corrected before another attempt to launch Crew-3, which could happen only next week. in between, crew 2 return Perhaps to be preferred, the Crew Dragon ship will leave the ISS this Sunday (7) and go to sea on Monday (8) with the crew on board. However, this has not been confirmed yet.

Together @spaceXWe are continuing to review launch and return opportunities for upcoming crew rotation flights and from there @space Station.

Teams are now considering whether to return Crew-2 before launching the next crew rotation: https://t.co/474jXj9eCq pic.twitter.com/CbaN3hJxqu

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) November 4, 2021

Anyway, delays in launching the new crew of astronauts are certain, but it remains to be seen whether NASA will decide to bring Crew-2 back before sending Crew-3, or whether it will allow current astronauts to remain operational. Will keep ISS for more time This choice depends on a number of factors, such as favorable weather conditions, for example – which is why the agency plans to launch Crew-3 next week, along with a possible attempt to receive Crew-2 in the same period. Continuing to monitor the situation. .

There are major concerns about strong winds, among other conditions, on the Falcon 9 rocket platform. “These are dynamic and complex decisions that change every day,” explained Steve Stich, manager of the Commercial Crew Program. “The weather can be particularly challenging in November, so we aim to follow the plan that is most likely to guarantee the mission and safety of the crew,” he said.

According to NASA, a decision on this will be taken soon. Those responsible for the mission are also considering the maximum duration that SpaceX capsules can remain in orbit before their systems malfunction. One on the ISS currently reaches 195 days in space, and it and the other in the Dragon family were built to spend 210 days away from Earth.

If officials decide to prioritize Crew-2’s return before Crew-3 launch, the station will be occupied by just one astronaut from the United States and one cosmonaut from Russia, as long as the Crew-3 crew. does not reach there.

Source: NASAhandjob space flight now