Crew-1 launch of astronauts from Florida to ISS pushed back until Sunday, NASA announces

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The launch of four astronauts from Florida’s Space Coast to the International Space Station has been pushed back by one day, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced Friday.

NASA and SpaceX had been targeting a Saturday evening launch of the Crew-1 mission from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. But Bridenstine tweeted Friday that onshore winds and recovery operations forced them to push the targeted launch time back.

The new target launch of the Crew-1 mission is 7:27 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Update: Due to onshore winds and recovery operations, @NASA and @SpaceX are targeting launch of the Crew-1 mission with astronauts to the @Space_Station at 7:27 p.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 15. The first stage booster is planned to be reused to fly astronauts on Crew-2. #LaunchAmerica

— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) November 13, 2020

The four astronauts who will be headed to the International Space Station in the Crew Dragon capsule on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket arrived in Florida earlier this week ahead of the launch. NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker will be joined by Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

This weekend’s targeted launch marks the first rotational flight of a commercial spacecraft carrying astronauts to the International Space Station. It comes less than six months after NASA launched its first-ever commercial crewed mission.