Crew-3 launch delayed due to astronaut medical issue

Next launch opportunity is Saturday, Nov. 6 at 11:36 p.m.

Crew 3 astronauts, from left, European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer, of Germany, NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron speak to the media after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. The mission with a crew of four astronauts will launch aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy's Launch Complex 39A early Sunday morning to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA is delaying the launch of its Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station due to a medical issue with one of the astronauts, according to NASA.

According to the space agency, the launch had been delayed until at least Saturday because of a “minor medical issue” with one of the crew members. NASA said the medical issue was not COVID-related or an emergency but did not offer any additional details.

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“The agency takes every effort to protect the crew prior to its launch through a health stabilization plan. Crew-3 astronauts will remain in quarantine at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida while preparing for their launch,” a news release reads.

The next earliest opportunity for the Crew-3 launch will be Saturday, Nov. 6 at 11:36 p.m., NASA said.

This latest delay comes after the launch was pushed back from early Halloween morning to Nov. 3. Originally, the launch was planned for the early morning hours of Oct. 30.

Astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, and Matthias Maurer are set to relieve the Crew-2 team on the I.S.S. Crew-2 is set to return to Earth in splashdown off the coast of Florida sometime in November.

“Mission teams are reviewing options including both direct and indirect handovers for the upcoming crew rotation at the microgravity laboratory. Teams will review all options for safely launching and returning crew members and continue the agency’s important work on the International Space Station,” the release reads.

The Crew 3 team is scheduled to return to Earth in April 2022.


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Thomas Mates is a Streaming Executive Producer for News 6 and ClickOrlando.com. He also produces the podcast Florida Foodie. Thomas is originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania and worked in Portland, Oregon before moving to Central Florida in August 2018. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism in 2010.

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