CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A launch pad drawback prompted SpaceX to delay a flight to the Worldwide Area Station on Wednesday to interchange NASA’s two caught astronauts.
The brand new crew must get to the Worldwide Area Station earlier than Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can head house after 9 months in orbit.
Issues over a essential hydraulic system arose lower than 4 hours earlier than the Falcon rocket’s deliberate night liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle. Because the countdown clocks ticked down, engineers evaluated the hydraulics used to launch one of many two arms clamping the rocket to its assist construction. This construction must tilt again proper earlier than liftoff.
Already strapped into their capsule, the 4 astronauts awaited a ultimate choice, which got here down with lower than an hour remaining within the countdown. SpaceX canceled for the day. The corporate didn’t instantly announce a brand new launch date, however famous the subsequent strive may very well be as early as Thursday night time.
As soon as on the area station, the U.S., Japanese and Russian crew will substitute Wilmore and Williams, who’ve been up there since June. The 2 check pilots needed to transfer into the area station for an prolonged keep after Boeing’s new Starliner capsule encountered main breakdowns in transit.
Starliner’s debut crew flight was presupposed to final only a week, however NASA ordered the capsule to return empty and transferred Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX for the return leg.
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