NASA, SpaceX Delay Astronaut Launch As Engineers Test Dragon Propulsion System (Image Credit: NASA) SpaceX and NASA have postponed the launch of the Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) after engineers found an oxidizer leak in the propulsion system of the Dragon spacecraft. NASA said the issue was discovered during routine checks before launch. According to the American space agency, teams from both the organisation are now carrying out additional testing and reviewing spacecraft data before deciding when the mission can safely take off. So far, NASA has not announced a new launch date for Crew-13. The space agency said the teams will complete any required repairs or rework before the spacecraft is cleared for flight. “NASA and SpaceX are adjusting the launch date for the agency’s Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station to address an oxidizer leak on Dragon’s propulsion system which was detected during standard prelaunch spacecraft processing,” NASA said. The delay comes as SpaceX continues to play a major role in NASA’s human spaceflight programme. Dragon is currently the main US spacecraft used to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. Crew-13 will carry four astronauts from the US, Canada and Russia to the space station. NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney will serve as commander and pilot. They will be joined by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov as mission specialists. Once they reach the ISS, the astronauts will join Expedition 75. The crew is expected to enter quarantine around two weeks before launch at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Crew-13 is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA and SpaceX will announce the revised launch date after completing the necessary checks and work on the spacecraft. Govind Choudhary is the Chief Copy Editor for Tech at Times Now with over five years of experience in the media industry. He covers consumer technolog... View More