SpaceX and NASA are edging closer to the second launch attempt for the historic Demo-2 mission that will send astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station.
The launch will see astronauts travel to space from U.S. soil for the first time since the final Space Shuttle mission in 2011.
"Let's light this candle!" said Behnken’s son as he was bidding farewell to his father at Kennedy Space Center Saturday.
SPACEX, NASA EYE 'WEATHER CHALLENGES' AHEAD OF SECOND HISTORIC LAUNCH ATTEMPT
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (R) and Doug Hurley sit in a Tesla vehicle after walking out of the Operations and Checkout Building on their way to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft on launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on May 30, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
After saying goodbye to their families Hurley and Behnken were taken in a Tesla vehicle to the launch pad, where they boarded SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. “The hatch is closed. The crew is settled in,” tweeted NASA at 1:17 p.m. EDT.
The launch is scheduled for at 3:22 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A, the same pad that was used for the Apollo and space shuttle missions. President Trump will be at Kennedy Space Center for the launch.
The first attempt to launch SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon spacecraft was scrubbed just 16 minutes and 54 seconds before launch on Wednesday as a result of unfavorable weather in the flight path.
SPACEX AND NASA’S HISTORIC LAUNCH SCRUBBED AS A RESULT OF WEATHER
NASA and SpaceX are closely monitoring the weather for Saturday’s launch. “What got us last time was the electricity in the atmosphere and, of course, today, there are, in fact, buildups,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said Saturday. “It doesn’t look like there are thunderstorms at this time, but they are expected. The question is ‘when do those thunderstorms go away, and when those thunderstorms materialize, where are they located’?”
“We are predicting about a 50/50 shot of going this time, but given the fact that we are in late May, in Florida, we have to take every shot we can get,” he added. “We are a go for launch right now and we are hoping that the weather will hold up.”
The Demo-2 mission has an instantaneous launch window, which means that the flight is scheduled to launch at exactly at 3:22 p.m. EDT with no potential to extend the window.
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The launch of the Demo-2 mission will be the first time a private company, rather than a national government, sends astronauts into orbit.
Launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon will accelerate to approximately 17,000 mph, according to NASA, placing the capsule on course for the International Space Station. The duration of the astronauts’ stay on the orbiting space lab is yet to be determined.
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If Saturday’s launch is scrubbed, another launch attempt could take place on Sunday, according to NASA.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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SpaceX, NASA make final preparations for second launch attempt: 'Let’s light this candle!' - Fox News
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