SpaceX’s flight, which should have departed Monday morning from Florida to the International Space Station (ISS), is still grounded.
A technical error in the ground system threw a spanner in the works two minutes before take-off. There would have been problems with the fuel supply needed to launch.
The four crew members of the Crew-6 Mission, two Americans, a Russian and an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have since been removed from the rocket. On Tuesday, the Earth and the ISS will be back in position for another launch attempt. But it is uncertain whether the technical problems will be solved by then. The weather conditions also have to be correct.
Once in the International Space Station, the crew will stay there for six months. There are seven residents on the ISS, four of whom are due to return to Earth next month.
Replacement transport arrived for the other three last Sunday, a new vessel with which they can return in September. The impact of space debris has destroyed the spaceship with which they were supposed to leave. That craft will return to Earth next month without humans on board.