Crew-4, the crew’s fourth rotation to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed again by NASA and SpaceX.
Launch of the agency’s next astronaut mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida is currently scheduled for no earlier than 5:26 a.m. EDT on Saturday, April 23, with backups on April 24 and April 25.
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After the April 8 launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the space station, mission crews will have more time to investigate the final pre-launch operations for the Crew-4 mission, the agency reported Tuesday.
Start update ️ @NASA and @SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than Saturday, April 23 at 5:26 a.m. ET on the #Crew4 mission to the @Space station†
Learn more: pic.twitter.com/3rlUHF35F1
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) Apr 12, 2022
NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, mission commander, Robert Hines, pilot, and Jessica Watkins, mission specialist, and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will be transported to the station as part of the program by SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon spacecraft Freedom.
The crew began their official quarantine period last week. The procedure ensures the health of the astronauts, while also protecting the astronauts already on board the space station.
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On April 15, NASA will conduct a flight readiness analysis for the Crew-4 mission, focusing on SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the International Space Station and the ability of its international partners to support the aircraft, as well as certification of flight preparations.
Cover Image:NASA/TWITTER