The new crew needs to reach the International Space Station before Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams They can return home after nine months in orbit.
Concerns about a fundamental hydraulic system emerged less than four hours before the programmed launch of the Falcon rocket from the NASA Kennedy Space Center. As the countdown advanced, engineers evaluated the hydraulic systems used to release one of the two arms that hold the rocket to their support structure. This structure needs to lean back just before the launch.
Already insured in their capsule, the four astronauts were waiting for a final decision, which was taken in the absence of less than 45 minutes in the countdown. Spacex canceled the launch for the day. The company did not immediately announce a new datebut noted that the next attempt could even be Thursday night.
Once in the space station, the crew composed of astronauts from the United States, Japan and Russia will replace Wilmore and Williams, who have been there since June. The two test pilots had to move to the space station for a prolonged stay after the new Starliner capsule of Boeing He suffered important transit failures.
Starliner’s first manned mission had a scheduled duration of a week, but NASA ordered the capsule to return empty and transfer to Wilmore and Williams to Spacex for the return stage.