SpaceX, NASA delay launch of private Ax-1 astronaut mission to April 8
Liftoff is now set for Friday, April 8, at 11:17 a.m. EDT (1517 GMT).
The Ax-1 mission will fly four civilians, including former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, for a 10-day mission to the International Space Station. It was set to launch on Wednesday (April 6) from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Texas-based Axiom Space, which plans to operate its own space stations in the future, didn't give a reason for the delay, but it is likely due to NASA's own delay of a critical fueling test of its Artemis 1 moon rocket at the nearby Pad 39B. That test, originally set for Sunday, was delayed to today (April 4) due to ground equipment safety issues, creating a ripple effect of delays.
More news on Great Space
