Blog
NASA and SpaceX delay Crew 7 launch
Aug
Following the delayed launch of the latest Falcon Heavy launch, NASA and SpaceX have pushed the Crew 7 launch to August twenty fifth.
The delay within the launch is because of turning the pad over from its Falcon Heavy configuration to a Crew launch configuration. This can give the groups on the bottom extra time to make sure that every part is prepared for the Crew 7 launch.
Whereas it might appear easy to simply roll the Falcon 9 out to the pad and launch after a Falcon Heavy launch, floor techniques staff should first swap the response body from Falcon Heavy to Falcon 9 setups. The response body is what the bottom of the rockets connect to on the launch pad. The clamps that maintain Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 are completely different and might’t be used interchangeably.
Groups with @NASA and @SpaceX at the moment are focusing on no sooner than 3:49 a.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 25 to launch Crew-7 to the @Space_Station.
Be taught extra: https://t.co/keatfaIEtg pic.twitter.com/4fJEqQT15s
— NASA Business Crew (@Commercial_Crew) August 3, 2023
One other change they should make is to the highest of the transporter erector from a fairing configuration to a capsule configuration. When there’s a satellite tv for pc in a fairing connected the highest of the T/E has helps and numerous energy connections working to the rocket and for Crew/Cargo configurations which can be eliminated so the Crew Entry Arm has room to swing into place.
The delay additionally offers NASA extra leeway within the Worldwide Area Stations schedule for different automobiles visiting the Area Station and supplies consecutive launch alternatives if the August twenty fifth try is delayed additional.
Crew 7 will characteristic NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (Mission Commander), European Spacey Company astronaut Andreas Mogensen (Pilot), Japan Aerospace Exploration Company astronaut Satoshi Furukawa (Mission Specialist), and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov (Mission Specialist).
The Crew Dragon making this journey will probably be Crew Dragon Endurance, which most lately flew the Crew 5 mission in March 2023 and has spent ~333 days in house.
If the launch happens on August twenty fifth, the 4 particular person crew will dock with the ISS round 2:45 a.m. ET on August twenty sixth following a couple of 23-hour journey from launch to docking.
Questions or feedback? Shoot me an electronic mail at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.
