BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – NASA has pushed back the planned launch of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station because of weather concerns.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission is expected to take off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than 5:58 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12, according to NASA.
Weather conditions forced NASA to push the launch back a day. However, Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich says Thursday may not be a great weather day either.
“We have abort weather up the east coast where, should something happen to the launch vehicle, we can separate Dragon (capsule) and then land safely,” Stich said.
Stich said a low-pressure system expected to settle over the staging area is also driving winds up. Another meeting on the weather will be held Tuesday.
“I would say right now, Thursday the 12th doesn’t look great as well, that low-pressure system will likely be there and dominate that weather,” Stich said.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, the Crew-12 commander, and Jack Hathaway, the pilot, will join mission specialists Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos on the rocket for the 12th crewed SpaceX flight.
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The upcoming launch comes after the hasty return and successful splashdown of Crew-11, who had their mission cut short this month in light of an unidentified astronaut’s non-specified medical issue.
News 6 will livestream both the news conference and the launch when they happen.