{"id":9562,"date":"2026-05-12T18:40:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/for-a-second-time-poor-weather-scrubs-cargo-dragon-mission-launch-to-the-space-station\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T18:40:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:40:35","slug":"for-a-second-time-poor-weather-scrubs-cargo-dragon-mission-launch-to-the-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/for-a-second-time-poor-weather-scrubs-cargo-dragon-mission-launch-to-the-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"For a second time, poor weather scrubs Cargo Dragon mission launch to the space station"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_73399\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73399\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73399\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260513_CRS-34_wx_scrub.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260513_CRS-34_wx_scrub.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260513_CRS-34_wx_scrub-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73399\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA, SpaceX scrubbed the launch of the CRS-34 mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, due to poor weather. Image: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em><strong>Update May 13, 7:18 p.m. EDT (2318 UTC): NASA, SpaceX scrub launch on Wednesday, target NET Friday.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>In a bit of deja vu, SpaceX and NASA were once again getting ready to launch a Cargo Dragon loaded with 6,500 pounds of science and supplies to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday evening, but poor weather got the best of them yet again.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Tuesday\u2019s launch attempt, which scrubbed well in advance of fueling the Falcon 9 rocket, on Wednesday, teams progressed through the countdown until the final minute when it was determined that a launch would violate the cumulus cloud rule.<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff of the CRS-34 mission, atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), is now scheduled for Friday, May 15, at 6:05 p.m. EDT (2205 UTC), with the rocket flying on a northeasterly trajectory to target a rendezvous with the orbiting space station. SpaceX\u2019s 34th mission for NASA as part of its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contracts.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2kHxvJ8266I\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 35 percent chance for acceptable weather on Tuesday evening, thanks to a slow moving front moving across the State of Florida. During a media briefing on Monday, Launch Weather Officer Brian Cizek said that the forecast has been trending worse these past few days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe big difference in the forecast that we\u2019ve seen today compared to the last few days is the models are really slowing down the progression of that front moving from north to south,\u201d Cizek said. \u201cSo that will help pool more moisture over East Central Florida for tomorrow, which will lead to higher shower and storm coverage tomorrow afternoon into the evening hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said as the week goes on, there\u2019s a \u201cslight drying trend,\u201d which offers a better outlook on Wednesday and better still on Thursday. The launch window for Wednesday showed a 60 percent chance for favorable weather heading into the window, which dipped down to 10 percent at one point.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX will launch the CRS-34 mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster B1096. This will be its sixth flight following the launches of NASA\u2019s IMAP, GPS III-9, NROL-77, Kuiper Falcon 01, and Starlink Group 6-87.<\/p>\n<p>Less than eight minutes after liftoff, B1096 will return for a touchdown at Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40) adjacent to the launch pad at SLC-40. This will be the fourth booster recovery at this site and the 74th landing across the three pads SpaceX has used since 2015.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_73381\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73381\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73381\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260511_CRS-34_pad-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260511_CRS-34_pad-1.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260511_CRS-34_pad-1-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73381\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft, tail number C209, is seen atop a Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Image: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This will also be the sixth flight for the Cargo Dragon spacecraft, serial number C209. It launched the CRS-22, -24, -27, -30, and -32 missions. This is the first time that a Cargo Dragon spacecraft will launch for a sixth time, but the second for the Dragon-2 program overall. The Crew Dragon Endeavour has already flown for a sixth time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe completed similar life extension qualification for the crew vehicles, reviewing all hardware components across the vehicle, and ensuring we had at least six-flight qualification rationale for the crew capsule,\u201d said Lee Echerd, SpaceX\u2019s senior mission manager for its Government and Commercial Mission Management division.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then for the cargo qualification for this flight, it was essentially a delta certification with looking at the hardware items that are unique to the cargo configuration and completing a similar at least 6x qualification for for this mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cargo Dragon will separate from the Falcon 9 second stage about 9.5 minutes into the mission, kicking off a nearly 50-hour period during which the spacecraft plays catch up with the ISS. It\u2019s set to dock with the orbiting outpost at about 7:35 a.m. EDT (1135 UTC) on Thursday, May 14).<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1116px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1925586396607066343&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2026%2F05%2F12%2Flive-coverage-nasa-spacex-to-launch-34th-cargo-dragon-mission-to-the-space-station%2F&amp;sessionId=e6c45a6306b73b0341ce88c0b45a65cee2c31e23&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1925586396607066343\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Busy year in LEO<\/h4>\n<p>The arrival of the newest cargo spacecraft comes about two weeks before the next scheduled spacewalk on the Russian segment of the ISS.<\/p>\n<p>Over the summer, there are spacewalks on the U.S. side scheduled in June and August. Between those, on July 14, the Soyuz MS-29 mission is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying Cosmonaut and Commander Pyotr Dubrov, alongside fellow cosmonaut Anna Kikina and NASA astronaut Anil Menon.<\/p>\n<p>Less than two weeks after the arrival of MS-29, MS-28 will depart. Before that happens, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir will become the commander of the space station.<\/p>\n<p>The next crewed Dragon mission will launch in September with the Crew-13 quartet, led by NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins. She becomes the first active NASA astronaut to fly for a second time on a Dragon spacecraft.<\/p>\n<p>The last quarter of the year will include another Cargo Dragon mission and the next Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft.<\/p>\n<p>A lingering question though is whether Boeing\u2019s troubled Starliner spacecraft will make a cargo run to the ISS. NASA previously said it was hoping to fly the spaceship in 2026, without a crew to check the numerous problems encountered during its 2024 flight were resolved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, there\u2019s a process that we go through. We continue to maintain as close to launch readiness as possible on Starliner-1 for all of our other factors that play into it,\u201d said Bill Spetch, operations and integration manager for NASA\u2019s ISS Program, in response to a question from Spaceflight Now on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re continuing on to investigate the issues that that we saw, and so we\u2019re working very close with our Boeing colleagues on that, and we will end up flying it when it\u2019s ready. Some of that will determine exactly how much notice we have in front of the launch. As you know, our our schedule is pretty busy, but we\u2019re trying to maintain windows where we can go, where we can go fly that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA, SpaceX scrubbed the launch of the CRS-34 mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, due to poor weather. Image: SpaceX Update May 13, 7:18 p.m. EDT (2318 UTC): NASA, SpaceX scrub launch on Wednesday, target NET Friday. In a bit of deja vu, SpaceX and NASA were once again getting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[743,479,747,190,675,676,316],"class_list":["post-9562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-b1096","tag-falcon-9","tag-landing-zone-40","tag-nasa","tag-slc-40","tag-sld-45","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9562"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9562\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}