Science News Desk!!! NASA and SpaceX’s Crew-6 mission is now scheduled to depart for the International Space Station on March 2, the space agencies said Monday, after the mission was canceled due to a ground system problem. Minutes before the slated liftoff on Monday, mission teams decided to stand down after a problem with the ignition system. They set out to investigate an issue preventing the data from confirming the full load of the ignition source for the Falcon 9 first stage Merlin engine, triethylaluminum triethylboron (or TEA-TEB). I am proud of the focus and dedication of the NASA and SpaceX teams to keeping Crew-6 safe, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. Human spaceflight is an inherently risky endeavor and, as always, we will fly when we are ready.
SpaceX has removed propellant from the Falcon 9 rocket and astronauts exit the Dragon spacecraft for crew quarters. NASA said that both Falcon 9 and Dragon are in a safe configuration. Due to adverse weather forecast conditions, NASA and SpaceX had to miss the launch on Tuesday. The US space agency said that if the technical problem is resolved, the mission will lift off on Thursday, March 2, at 12:34 a.m. EST. The Crew-6 mission consists of NASA Astronaut Stephen Bowen, Commander; Warren Woody Hoberg, pilot; and mission specialists United Arab Emirates (UAE) cosmonaut Sultan Alanedi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The team aims to perform more than 200 science, technology demonstrations and maintenance activities at the microgravity laboratory.
–IANS
KC/ANM