SpaceX and NASA sign off on launch attempt
After investigating the issue found very early Monday morning, SpaceX found that a clogged filter caused the error that showed up just before liftoff. SpaceX replaced the filter and purged the lines with nitrogen to get everything ready for launch.
Yesterday NASA officials, SpaceX employees, and members from Space Launch Delta 45 met to discuss the readiness to launch Crew-6. These meetings take place before all launch attempts to make sure all parties are ready before moving forward with the launch. NASA signed off to once again hand Crew-6 over to SpaceX for launch.
SLD 45 reported again a 95% chance of favorable weather for tonight’s launch which has a T-0 liftoff at 12:34 a.m. ET.
The launch of Crew-6 will carry with it four members from NASA, Roscosmos, and the UAE. Stephen Bowen will serve as the mission’s commander, a veteran of three shuttle flights, Warren Hoburg is Crew-6’s pilot, with Sultan Al Neyadi and Andrey Fedyaev as mission specialists. This will be the first spaceflight for the latter of those three.
Al Neyadi will be the UAE’s second-ever citizen to fly to space and is on this flight thanks to a deal between NASA and Axiom Space to swap seats on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Guess you can say Al Neyadi got an upgrade to first class for his space flight.
All four crew members will spend the full six months on the ISS and will serve as flight engineers once they arrive. They will join Expedition 68 alongside SpaceX Crew-5 and once they depart, will begin Expedition 69. Their stay on the station will likely see the arrival of the first crewed flight of Boeing Starliner spacecraft some time this spring to early summer.
Featured Image: Derek Wise / Space Explored
