After ‘medical issue’ with astronaut, NASA delays SpaceX rocket launch to ISS

In a rare health-related pause, NASA has delayed a SpaceX rocket launch of four astronauts to the international space station (ISS).

This is the second postponement of the mission in a week. The agency cited an unspecified medical issue with one of the crew member as the reason behind this decision.

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On Monday, the space agency described it as a “minor medical issue” that was “not a medical emergency and not related to Covid”. It declined to elaborate on the nature of the issue or say which astronaut was involved.

Originally set for Sunday, the launch has been postponed until Wednesday because of unsuitable weather conditions and then had been rescheduled for Saturday night, said NASA.

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The SpaceX-built vehicle is set to fly this weekend. It consists of a Crew Dragon capsule and a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. It is now set for liftoff at 11.36 pm on Saturday from NASA’s Kennedy space centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

If everything goes smoothly, the three US astronauts and their European Space Agency (ESA) crewmate will reach 22 hours later and dock with the space station 400km (250 miles) above the Earth to begin a six-month science mission.

(With inputs from agencies)