NASA shifts Crew-5 launch to ISS due to hurricane Ian

Mission teams continue to monitor the impacts of Hurricane Ian on the Space Coast and NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and could adjust the launch date again, NASA was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The Dragon Endurance spacecraft is currently mated to the Falcon 9 rocket and safely secured inside SpaceX's hangar at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

After the storm progresses, teams from NASA and SpaceX will evaluate the potential impacts to the center and determine whether to adjust the mission timeline further, said NASA.

The Crew-5 flight will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina to the ISS.

--IANS
int/shs