The departure of two Americans, a Russian and an Emirati to the International Space Station (ISS) has been delayed due to problems with the ignition system. Minutes before the planned launch of the Crew Dragon rocket, the trial at Florida’s Cape Canaveral spaceport was canceled early Monday morning (local time).
When exactly the next attempt to launch the space capsule of the private space company SpaceX by Elon Musk was exactly, was initially not known. The three astronauts and the cosmonaut were actually expected on the ISS on Tuesday. It is planned that the four astronauts will work there for six months.
Quartet had to hold out for an hour
Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Andrei Fedjajew and Sultan Al-Nijadi had to wait in the capsule for almost an hour until the fuel was drained, according to a live broadcast from the American space agency NASA.
For the repeated time since the beginning of the Russian offensive war in Ukraine a year ago – and the resulting immense tensions between the US and Russia – astronauts from both countries will fly into space together.
Currently aboard the ISS are Sergei Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, Frank Rubio, Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, Koichi Wakata, and Anna Kikina. The “Crew-5” – Mann, Cassada, Wakata and Kikina – will fly back to Earth in a few days.
Leak discovered in Soyuz capsule
The return of Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio was delayed because a leak was discovered in the “Soyuz” capsule that carried them to the ISS in September. According to experts, it was created by the impact of a micrometeorite.
That’s why a replacement Soyuz capsule arrived at the outpost of humanity this weekend, and the trio will now likely return to Earth in September – instead of March as originally planned.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
