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TheSpaceXCrew Dragon spacecraft isnow scheduled to launch tomorrow(May 30 ) after weather forced a launch wait Wednesday ( May 27 ) . If unsound weather strikes the Cape Canaveral , Florida launch site again at the wrong time , the launch will once more be delayed .
But why should some horrifying weather scrub a Falcon 9 rocket launching ? WhenNASAastronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken do take off in their SpaceX - built rocket engine , it will stigmatise the first endeavour to put humans in orbit from U.S. grunge in a tenner . And the roquette is powerful enough to plug through the air and into space . Why should a few clouds bother it ?
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon stand at Launch Complex 39A on 2 April 2025, during the first launch attempt for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission.
First , launch like these have to be absolutely timed . For the slyness to reach theInternational Space Stationit must launch at the schedule minute of arc , or hold back for another opportunity . So any weather delay is of import .
And the fact is , NASA has had a long and unfortunate history with launching conditions , as NASA Spaceflight.com noted May 24 . Freezing weather before a 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger launch wrecked the condom O - band sealing wax on the solid Eruca vesicaria sativa protagonist . The shuttleexploded 73 mo after launchand all seven astronauts on dining table died . The Apollo 12 mission survived a duad of lightning strikes , but they clamber instrumental role during takeoff and triggered alertsthat near led NASA to abort the mission .
relate : How to see the historic SpaceX astronaut set in motion online
Wednesday ’s launch was canceled within half an hr of the contrive takeoff because of lightning in the area and a violent storm cloud with an " anvil " formation . That cloud was close enough to the launch site that , when it did n’t pass up , NASA said it violated the office ’s weather rule . And the launch itself could have spark lightning strikes on the spacecraft , according to NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine .
Lighting is n’t the only weather feature NASA tracks before a launching though . During the Space Shuttle epoch , NASA publish criteria for those launching . Some of the regulation included :
There were also a complex serial of rules related to galvanizing domain and firing designed to fend off lightning strikes on the fomite . But the most straightforward was this :
" Do not launch when lightning is observed and the swarm that create the lightning is within 10 nautical Admiralty mile of flying path . Launch may not occur until 30 minutes has glide by since the lightning flash , or the cloud has affect more than 10 nautical miles aside . "
All this could spell further trouble for NASA and SpaceX ’s commercial crew plan for the weekend . National Weather Service reportsshow rain and thunderstorms follow and fail all mean solar day today ( May 29 ) at Cape Canaveral , and standardised consideration are in the forecast for tomorrow ’s launching .
Originally release onLive skill .
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