SpaceX And NASA's Manned Flight Delayed Due To Bad Weather

SpaceX and NASA have postponed the highly anticipated Demo-2 manned flight of SpaceX from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

What Happened

The fight scheduled Wednesday, to carry astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to space, was canceled with just 17 minutes to go due to severe weather conditions, reported CNBC. 

It would have been the first flight aboard a SpaceX rocket for any NASA crew and also the first time the U.S. space agency launched astronauts from American soil since 2011.

NASA tweeted, “We are not going to launch today.” The agency added, “Our next opportunity will be Saturday, May 30 at 3:22pm ET. Live #LaunchAmerica coverage will begin at 11am ET.”

Why It Matters

The launch’s historic significance was underscored by the presence of several dignitaries including President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. Also present was Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX along with several members of his family, reported CNBC.

There is a 60% probability of agreeable weather for a launch on Saturday, as forecasted by U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing.

Since NASA retired the space shuttles, it has not flown a manned mission from Florida and currently uses Russia’s Soyuz rockets to ferry astronauts into orbit.

Image Credit: Courtesy of SpaceX.