SpaceX’s Crew-5 Mission Launch Has to Wait for a Little Longer

The mission launch to the ISS has been pushed back towards the end of September.

SpaceX and NASA's next crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has been pushed back to Sept. 29, NASA said in a statement on Thursday, July 21. The Crew-5 Mission will be undertaken by NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, together with Japan's astronaut Koichi Wakata and Russia's cosmonaut Anna Kikina.

SPACE.com reported that the delayed Crew-5 Mission launch would enable SpaceX to "complete hardware processing and mission teams" and allow them to ensure launch dates comply with the ISS' visiting spacecraft schedules, NASA officials said in a statement. The new launch date will follow the Russian Soyuz vehicle's astronomical trip.

The highly anticipated Crew-5 Mission launch to the ISS is a crucial milestone for NASA, which had lobbied for "crew swaps," which would enable Russian cosmonauts aboard NASA's commercially procured missions while NASA astronauts ride on Russian Soyuz capsules. Following lengthy negotiations, NASA revealed last week that Crew-5 would be the first SpaceX flight to have a cosmonaut on board.

NASA and Roscosmos, or the Russian Federal Space Agency, have agreed to let cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev fly on Crew-6, which is set to launch in the spring. Meanwhile, NASA's astronauts Frank Rubio and Loral O'Hara will fly on separate Soyuz missions in the following months.

SpaceX's Crew-5 Mission Launch Delays Caused by Damages to Falcon 9 Booster

Originally, the Crew-5 Mission launch was set to arrive on the ISS earlier in September. However, delays will now require the Soyuz crews to turn over first before the Crew-5 could replace the Crew 4 astronauts.

According to Space News, NASA decided to push back SpaceX's Crew-5 Mission Launch date due to damages incurred by the Falcon 9 booster that will launch the astronauts while it was being transported across the US for testing. Now, SpaceX's Crew-5 will have to use a new Falcon 9 booster, which is rare given that the company is known for its extensive reuse of boosters.

NASA reported that SpaceX had to remove a part of the rocket called interstage, a section between the booster and its upper stage, as well as some instrumentation after these parts were damaged during transport from SpaceX's factory in Hawthorne, California to the testing site in McGregor, Texas.

Meanwhile, SpaceX said they had performed inspections and testing of the booster to determine that the damage was limited to the interstage. Following a review by NASA, the booster will undergo regular stage testing at the McGregor site before it is certified for flight.

NASA Approves Reusing Falcon 9 Boosters

The report revealed that NASA has become "increasingly comfortable" with launching astronauts on reused Falcon 9 boosters and Crew Dragon spacecraft. Back in April, the Crew-4 Mission that launched to the ISS used a Falcon 9 booster, which had already been used three times.

NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Sandra Magnus explained during a July 21 meeting that both the US space agency and SpaceX have "gained experience" whilst collaborating with each other. The NASA panel member added that the California-based spacecraft manufacturer had gathered information on the flight history of the Falcon 9 booster and Dragon capsule, leading them to carefully consider reusing boosters and the process for certification for reuse.

Magnus concluded that NASA has allowed up to five-time reuse for the Falcon 9 and the Crew Dragon capsule.