SpaceX delays first historic crewed launch to space due to weather

Image: SpaceX

Just 17 minutes before its planned launch, SpaceX postponed its first crewed flight to space on Wednesday afternoon due to bad weather over the launch site in Florida. The two passengers on board SpaceX’s capsule — NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley — will try again on Saturday, May 30th.
“Not quite going to make it for this,” one person said over the mission control audio leading up to the flight.
“Unfortunately, we’re not going to launch today.”
The biggest concern for SpaceX was electrified clouds in the area around Cape Canaveral, Florida, where the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is meant to take off. Electrified clouds are particularly dangerous for a launch. If a rocket flies close enough, lightning could strike the vehicle,…

Continue reading…