Crew-7 Astronaut Launch Into International Space Station Postponed by NASA and SpaceX

NASA and SpaceX have announced the postponement of the Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station without specifying a reason for the delay. The mission, led by American astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, includes Andreas Mogensen from Denmark, Satoshi Furukawa from Japan, and Konstantin Borisov from Russia. The launch is planned from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a backup opportunity on Sunday at 3:04 am (07:04 GMT). "Launch now is targeted at 3:27 am (local time; 07:27 GMT) Saturday, Aug. 26, for SpaceX's seventh crew rotation mission to the microgravity laboratory for NASA," the US space agency said in a statement.

SpaceX mentioned that the new launch date would provide extra time for analysis and discussions while reassuring that the spacecraft and crew were in good condition and ready for the mission. Notably, both Moghbeli and Borisov will be embarking on their maiden space missions. Moghbeli, a Naval test pilot of Iranian heritage, expressed her long-standing dream to venture into space and was particularly eager to witness Earth from orbit. Crew-7 marks the seventh routine mission to the International Space Station for SpaceX, with the first mission launched in 2020. NASA's collaboration with SpaceX is part of a commercial crew program aimed at reducing reliance on Russian rockets for astronaut transport following the conclusion of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. Boeing is another private partner in this endeavour, but its program has faced delays and technical challenges, preventing it from sending crews into space.

Konstantin Borisov will be the third Russian astronaut to fly aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Despite geopolitical tensions, space remains a realm of cooperation between the United States and Russia. American astronauts continue to travel on Russian Soyuz rockets launched from Kazakhstan. During their six-month stay on the ISS, Crew-7 will conduct various science experiments, including collecting samples during a spacewalk to investigate if the station releases microorganisms through life support system vents, shedding light on microorganism survival in space. Additionally, an experiment will examine the physiological differences between sleep on Earth and in space. The crew will join the seven astronauts already aboard the ISS, and some members of Crew-6 will return to Earth a few days later. The ISS, established in 1998, has been continuously inhabited by international crews since 2001, and its operations are expected to continue until at least 2030 before being decommissioned and deorbited into the ocean. Several private companies are actively working on the development of commercial space stations to replace it.