{"id":17704,"date":"2020-05-27T17:17:25","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T09:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/weather-forces-delay-for-spacexs-historic-launch-of-nasas-first-dragon-riders-to-the-space-station\/"},"modified":"2020-05-27T17:17:25","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T09:17:25","slug":"weather-forces-delay-for-spacexs-historic-launch-of-nasas-first-dragon-riders-to-the-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/weather-forces-delay-for-spacexs-historic-launch-of-nasas-first-dragon-riders-to-the-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Weather forces delay for SpaceX\u2019s historic launch of NASA\u2019s first Dragon riders to the space station"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Air Force One flies above Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying President Donald Trump to witness SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon launch. Liftoff was postponed until Saturday due to weather concerns. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The countdown for SpaceX\u2019s first crewed launch to the International Space Station ran down to less than 17 minutes, but because the weather didn\u2019t cooperate, history will have to wait until Saturday at the earliest.<\/p>\n

SpaceX called off the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken sitting inside the Crew Dragon capsule on top, and President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence waiting in the wings. Liftoff would have marked the first-ever use of a privately owned spaceship for a crewed orbital launch, the first launch of NASA astronauts from U.S. soil since the space shuttles were retired in 2011, and the official start of a renaissance for U.S. spaceflight.<\/p>\n

But dark clouds and rain swept over the launch pad at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida throughout the day. Tropical Storm Bertha battered the Carolina coast to the north. And conditions were also dicey out in the Atlantic Ocean, where Hurley and Behnken would have to make a splashdown if an emergency arose during their ascent to orbit.<\/p>\n

There was enough hope to start fueling up the Falcon 9, but not enough to proceed to the launch. At one point, a member of the launch team was heard remarking that an extra 10 minutes could have made a difference. The problem was, the rocket had to blast off at 4:33 p.m. ET (1:33 p.m. PT) or hold off for the next opportunity.<\/p>\n

A couple of minutes later, SpaceX launch director Mike Taylor broke the bad news to the crew. \u201cUnfortunately, we are not going to launch today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a good effort by the teams, and we understand,\u201d Hurley replied.<\/p>\n

While the VIPs headed off to their next engagements, members of the combined NASA and SpaceX team wrapped things up for today\u2019s attempt and started thinking about the next one, scheduled for 3:22 p.m. ET (12:22 p.m. PT) Saturday. There\u2019s another launch opportunity set for Sunday.<\/p>\n

In-person viewing of the launch was restricted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, but more than 2.5 million people watched today\u2019s proceedings online. Streaming coverage of the next attempt will start at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) Saturday on NASA\u2019s and SpaceX\u2019s YouTube channels. Trump tweeted that he\u2019d be back for the milestone launch.<\/p>\n