WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) Bad weather delayed until at least Saturday the launch of the world's first commercially built manned spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the International Space Station in the first crewed mission from the United States in nine years, NASA announced.
"[Conditions] violate a couple of different weather rules that we now don't expect to clear in time to allow for a launch today," mission control informed the two NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft awaiting take off on Wednesday afternoon.
After the announcement, NASA mission control initiated the automated abort sequence.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that the next launch attempt is scheduled for Saturday.
"No launch for today - safety for our crew members... is our top priority," Bridenstine said via Twitter. "We'll try, try again to Launch America on Saturday with liftoff at 3:22 p.m. ET."
The Crew Dragon capsule and the Falcon 9 rocket carrier were constructed by SpaceX for NASA as the agency sought domestic launching capabilities after retiring the Space Shuttle fleet in 2011.
For SpaceX, the launch represents the final flight test of the transportation system it produced before being certified for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the ISS under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both arrived in Florida to witness the launch.
