Due to weather conditions, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft ’s first manned test flight was postponed to 15:22 US Eastern Time on May 30.
Originally scheduled for May 27th at 16:33 EST, NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley took the SpaceX manned dragon spacecraft and followed Falcon 9 From the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the International Space Station.
Less than 20 minutes from launch, NASA announced that due to unfavorable weather conditions near the 39A launch pad of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and SpaceX canceled the day ’s launch, SpaceX The Falcon 9 rocket propellant will be removed and the two astronauts will leave the manned dragon spacecraft.
The first manned flight test of the SpaceX Dragon will be delayed by 3 days. If the launch continues to be postponed, you can also try it at 15:00 U.S. Eastern Time. These two launch windows extend the original 19-hour arrival time to the space station to 31 hours.
Previously, after the last pre-launch review of NASA and SpaceX, they said that apart from the uncontrollable weather, the upcoming Dragon Spacecraft ’s first manned test mission has no major problems .
The weather forecast released by the US Air Force 45th Meteorological Squadron on the 26th has increased the probability that weather conditions are suitable for launch from 40% to 60%. In the past, with a probability of less than 50%, space launches would basically be cancelled or postponed.
In addition, if an emergency occurs during the launch, the capsule will splash onto the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical storm Bertha, which formed near South Carolina, may cause huge waves in the Atlantic Ocean.
“Remember, this is a test flight, the most important task is to test the aircraft and return it safely.” NASA Director Jim Bridenstine said many times The manned flight test plan cannot bear any unnecessary risks, and ensuring the safety of astronauts is a top priority.
Last March, the manned dragon spacecraft successfully conducted its first unmanned test flight, carrying a dummy to the International Space Station. This high-spirited launch is the first commercial manned spaceflight launch of mankind, and it will also be the first time that an American astronaut has taken an American spacecraft into orbit from the United States since the US space shuttle was retired in 2011.
Robert Behnken, 49, and Douglas Hurley, 53, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center early on May 20. Nine years ago, on July 8, 2011, on the same launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center, the US space shuttle “Atlantis” driven by Hurley was launched for the last time.
This “call curtain journey” marks the end of 135 flights in the 30-year space shuttle era in the United States. In the nine years since then, all US tools for transporting astronauts to and from the space station have “relied on” Russian ships.