Updated
Updated · Space.com · Aug 31
SpaceX, NASA Delay Sept. 12 Crew-13 ISS Launch Over Dragon Oxidizer Leak
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Aug 31

SpaceX, NASA Delay Sept. 12 Crew-13 ISS Launch Over Dragon Oxidizer Leak

3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Aug 31

Summary

  • NASA said Crew-13 will no longer launch on Sept. 12 after teams found an oxidizer leak in the propulsion system of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
  • Joint NASA-SpaceX engineers are running additional tests, reviewing data and completing any needed rework before setting a new launch date.
  • Crew-13 is slated to carry four astronauts—NASA’s Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canada’s Josh Kutryk and Roscosmos’ Sergey Teteryatnikov—to the ISS for a seven-month mission.
  • The flight will be SpaceX’s 13th operational crew mission to the station for NASA, as the company also prepares a mid-September Starship Flight 14 orbital test.

Insights

How will SpaceX's sudden Crew-13 delay impact their aggressively packed launch schedule, including the highly anticipated Starship Flight 14?
As three rookie astronauts face an unexpected launch delay, how might this spacecraft anomaly affect their readiness for Expedition 75?
With an oxidizer leak halting Crew-13, what hidden dangers might still lurk within the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system?