Weather Turns Villain: NASA Again Extends Its ISS Mission

Washington: Due to bad weather, NASA has postponed the launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station. The launch, originally scheduled for February 12, has been rescheduled to February 13. The 'Crew-12' mission will launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Although the weather is favourable at the launch center in Florida, the mission has been delayed due to extremely strong winds along the launch path. Strong winds could affect rescue efforts in the event of an emergency sea landing, prompting the postponement.

The crew consists of American astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev. The launch is planned for early morning local time at 5:15 a.m. (1:00 p.m. Indian Standard Time) on Friday. If the launch occurs as scheduled, they are expected to reach the space station by Saturday.

They are replacing 'Crew-11,' which returned early due to health issues. Currently, only three people remain aboard the station. This mission is a significant part of the International Space Station program, which is scheduled to operate until 2030.

Meanwhile, the astronauts have been placed under quarantine at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center due to the launch delay.