SpaceX’s cargo mission deferred by a day over bad weather

SpaceX’s cargo mission launch on Saturday was postponed due to weather conditions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) said. The launch will now take place at 3:14am ET (12:44pm IST) on Sunday. “Launch Update: Due to weather, today’s @SpaceX cargo mission is postponed. Details for the next attempt: Calendar Date – Sun. Aug., 29. Television NASA TV coverage – 2:45am ET (06:45 UT). Rocket Target liftoff – 3:14am ET (07:14 UT),” Nasa shared on Twitter on Saturday.

SpaceX too confirmed the development on Twitter and said the “next launch opportunity is Sunday, August 29 at 3:14 a.m. ET.”

Saturday’s launch was supposed to be SpaceX’s 23rd cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX is in a commercial cargo resupply services contract with Nasa. The lift-off was scheduled at 3:37am ET (1:07pm IST). The cargo included over 4,800 pounds of supplies and experiments.

Reports said that the Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon spacecraft atop was raised to a vertical position at launch pad 39A at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday. And on Thursday morning, SpaceX said that a static fire test had been completed for Saturday’s launch.

The reports added that the SpaceX Dragon would separate from Falcon 9’s second stage about twelve minutes after the launch and would autonomously dock to the orbiting laboratory.

“A @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stand ready for liftoff at Launch Complex 39A. This will be the fourth flight for this booster and the second mission for this cargo Dragon capsule,” the Kennedy Space Center tweeted minutes before the liftoff was postponed.