NASA has postponed the launch of the Space-X rocket for the second time in a week. One of the astronauts has been diagnosed with a medical problem. The last time a launch was delayed for that reason was in 1990.
The four-member crew was initially scheduled to depart for the International Space Station on October 31, but that was postponed for several days due to bad weather conditions. Now a medical situation is causing delays again. It has not been announced which astronaut is involved and what exactly is going on. According to NASA, it is not a medical emergency and is not corona-related.
The launch, originally scheduled for Sunday but then delayed to Wednesday due to weather, has now been moved to Saturday night, NASA said.
It is rare for a launch to be delayed for medical reasons. The last time was for a Space Shuttle Atlantis flight in 1990 when mission commander John Creighton fell ill. According to NASA, the launch was delayed three days until it was allowed to fly.
The SpaceX rocket will now leave on Saturday with three Americans and one German astronaut onboard. They stay in space for six months. It is the fifth manned spaceflight from SpaceX, the company of Elon Musk, which launched four civilians into orbit for the first time this fall.