SpaceX’s next space mission is ready to launch.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is now officially ready to launch the Crew-6 mission on Thursday (March 2) at 00:34 EST (0534 GMT), and you can watch the launch on Space.com, courtesy of NASA Television.
Monday’s (February 27) launch attempt to the International Space Station (ISS) was canceled 2.5 minutes before T-0 due to a problem with the ground system.
“NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is ready to launch to the International Space Station following the completion of a launch readiness review, weather briefing and mission management meeting,” the agency wrote in a blog post. (will open in a new tab) Wednesday (March 1).
“Meteorologists at the 45th Space Station Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral continue to predict a 95 percent chance of favorable weather,” the agency added of the forecast at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in coastal Florida, where the mission lifts off one to two hours. day trip to the orbital outpost.
Related: SpaceX Crew-6 mission live updates for NASA
Read more: Meet the SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts
Crew-6, the sixth operational SpaceX mission to fly for NASA, will send NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, Sultan Al Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the ISS aboard the Dragon Endeavor capsule. (Al Neyadi will be the first person from the UAE to conduct a long-duration mission on the space station.)
The mission was delayed on Monday due to a ground problem with an ignition fluid called triethylaluminum-triethylboron or TEA-TEB, which ignites the engine ignition oxidizer.
“During launch preparation, the TEA-TEB fluid, which originates in the ground supply tank, flows to the rocket interface and back into the recovery tank to remove gas from the ground plumbing,” NASA officials wrote.
“During engine start, the liquid then enters the engines to ignite. The flow to the recovery tank is one of several parameters used to determine if fluid has been properly bled into the system.”
The cause of Monday’s launch delay is due to a clogged ground filter reducing flow to the TEA-TEB capture tank, NASA officials said.
“This clogged filter fully explains the signature seen when trying to launch. The SpaceX teams changed the filter, purged the TEA-TEB line with nitrogen, and made sure the lines were clean and ready for launch.”
After launch, if everything goes on time, Crew-6 and its four astronauts are scheduled to dock with the Harmony module on the ISS at 1:17 am EST (0617 GMT) on Friday (March 3). The opening of the hatch is expected at 3:27 AM EST and the welcome ceremony at 3:40 AM EST. Space.com will host these events thanks to NASA.
Elizabeth Howell is co-author of Why Am I Taller? (will open in a new tab)? (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), space medicine book. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace. (will open in a new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (will open in a new tab) or facebook (will open in a new tab).