NASA-SpaceX astronaut ‘not sooner’ than November

• The company announced on Saturday that NASA’s next mission with SpaceX “will not be launched anytime soon until mid-November.”
• That mission, called Crew-1, will take four astronauts to the International Space Station.
• This release was previously planned for Halloween. The delay allows SpaceX to investigate an issue with its Falcon 9 rocket engines.
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NASA’s four astronauts will have to wait a little longer to visit the International Space Station. Company Announced Saturday Crew-1, its joint venture with SpaceX, will not depart from early November until mid-November.

The work was previously scheduled for October 31 at 2:40 p.m. The latest delay allows SpaceX to evaluate with its Falcon 9 rocket engines during the latest test launch. The rocket’s gas generators exhibited unusual behavior, although NASA said in a statement that it did not specify what was wrong.

SpaceX Stopped scheduled launch On October 2, a gas generator on its Falcon 9 rocket unexpectedly increased pressure.

This is not the first time SpaceX’s first executive, Crew-1, has been delayed from a contract astronaut for NASA. The work was originally scheduled to begin in early September. It Pushed back until Halloween To go to ISS and better integrate with other astronauts and astronauts’ tables.

NASA says it may have more information about the engine problem in a few days.

“Teams are actively implementing this invention in engines,” said Kathy Louder, co-executive director of NASA’s Directorate of Human Research and Operations Mission. “We have to be very smart in the coming week.”

Meet the Crew-1 team

Group-1 included NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Mike Hopkins and Victor Clover, as well as Japanese astronaut Sochi Nokuchi. Commander of the Hopkins Mission, Clover Pilot and appointed Walker and Nokuchi Mission Specialists.

Of the crew members, only Clover has not been in space before, but he has recorded more than 3,000 hours of flying experience. Nokuchi is the most experienced member of the team: he has flown in the Soyuz capsule of Russia and the American space shuttle.

Come to the launch site, nine Merlin engines will lift the Falcon 9 rocket – and the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft – from the launch pad. As the rocket travels beyond Earth’s atmosphere, its first phase separates from the spacecraft. Its engines will shoot back to take the first stage to a predetermined landing site. The second phase of the rocket will eventually propel the ship into orbit towards ISS.

The Crew-1 team plans to stay at ISS for a fixed six months. During that time, they will conduct spacewalks, perform scientific experiments, and engage in routine station maintenance.

With Crew-1 mission now planned after this fall, the astronauts’ reliance on ISS will be even greater with the Crew-2 mission planned for the spring of 2021.

Before that another team ISS.

As part of NASA’s Business Group program, SpaceX will launch at least six planned ISS.

In partnership with SpaceX, NASA has reduced the reliability of Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which have recently become more expensive. Up to 90 million for a seat. Prior to the Demo-2 mission, NASA had not been able to launch its own astronauts on American rockets or spacecraft since 2011, when it completed the space-space program. A seat on the SpaceX capsule is expected to cost $ 55 million, including funding from NASA to build its new Crew Dragon spacecraft.

NASA is also funding the construction of a new spacecraft from Boeing, through its Commercial Crew program. The company introduced an unsolved test of the capsule called Starliner, but it was a success. Technical issues And could not go with the space station as planned. Boeing Plans to start Follow-up Starliner demo in December.