NASA and SpaceX are set to launch the SpaceX Crew Dragon on top of a Falcon 9 rocket at 7:27 tonight from the Space Coast with three NASA astronauts, Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, aboard. They will be joined by an astronaut with Japan’s space agency, Soichi Noguchi.
On Friday the decision was made by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to push Saturday’s scheduled astronaut launch to Sunday evening.
The move to reschedule was made because of onshore winds and recovery operations, Bridenstine said.
SpaceX and NASA are hoping that today’s launch will be the start of years of manned SpaceX flights to keep the International Space Station fully staffed. The crew launching today is scheduled to stay aboard the ISS for 6 months before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
