Tag: Delays

SpaceX Puts Mars Plans on Hold to Prioritize NASA Moon Effort

The Wall Street Journal reports, “SpaceX has put off a mission to Mars planned for this year, shifting its focus to a long-promised lunar voyage for NASA. The rocket company told investors it will prioritize going to the moon first and attempt a trip to Mars at a later time, according to people familiar with the matter. The company will target March 2027 for a lunar landing without humans on board, another person said.”
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)

Persistent Hydrogen Leaks Push Artemis II Launch to March

Ars Technica reports, “The launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission will have to wait another month after a fueling test Monday uncovered hydrogen leaks in the connection between the rocket and its launch platform at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ‘Engineers pushed through several challenges during the two-day test and met many of the planned objectives,’ NASA said in a statement following the conclusion of the mock countdown.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

NASA Delays Commercial Crew Launch to Inspect Space Station Leaks

The Washington Post reports, “NASA said Thursday it was postponing a launch of private astronauts to the International Space Station while it works with its Russian counterparts to investigate persistent leaks on the orbiting laboratory. In a statement, NASA said that Russian cosmonauts recently sealed ‘some areas of interest’ in a module on the Russia side of the space station. As a result, ‘the segment is holding pressure,’ NASA said. It added that crews also noticed a ‘new pressure signature,’ and need additional time ‘to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary.’”
Full Story (Washington Post – Subscription Publication)
More Info (CBS News)

Aviation Week Article: Airbus Delays Hydrogen But Expands Engine Test Plan

Guy Norris at Aviation Week reports, “Airbus is slowing ambitions to develop a hydrogen-fueled airliner by the mid-2030s but is expanding nearer-term plans to flight test unducted and ducted sustainable aviation fueled (SAF) engines for its next-generation single aisle. Under its ZEROe initiative announced in 2020, Airbus planned to develop a 100-seat hydrogen-fueled airliner for service entry in the middle of next decade, and aimed to flight test supporting propulsion and systems technology on an Airbus A380 later this decade.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Helium Leak Causes Delay of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Astronaut Launch Until August 28

SPACE reports that SpaceX has pushed the launch of the historic Polaris Dawn astronaut mission back 24 hours, to Wednesday morning (Aug. 28), due to a helium leak. “’Teams are taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical. Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low Earth orbit,’ SpaceX announced in an X post on Monday evening (Aug. 26).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Launch of 22 Starlink Satellites from California Delayed

SPACE reports, “SpaceX has reset the launch of another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to no sooner than Friday evening (March 29). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft was set to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday (March 28), but the company called off the attempt before beginning to fuel the vehicle.”
Full Story (SPACE)

SpaceX Delays Crew-8 Launch to Feb. 28

SPACE reports “NASA’s next astronaut launch will delay nearly a week to let a moon mission leave Earth first.” NASA will launch the Crew-8 astronauts on Feb. 28, to “deconflict” from the expected launch date of a robotic moon mission with agency…
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KC-46 RVS, Refueling Pod Fixes Delaying Test Process

Aviation Week reported that the Pentagon’s operational test and evaluation office “has collected all the data it can on the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, as it awaits two key fixes to the tanker – a revamp of the aircraft’s wing refueling pods and the long-awaited redesign of its Remote Vision System.”
Full Story (Aviation Week – Subscription Publication)

Blue Origin Delays New Shepard Launch

SPACE reports that Blue Origin’s first mission “in more than 15 months was officially delayed on Monday (Dec. 18) after a last-minute scrub.” Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle “was originally supposed to lift off as early as 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 GMT or 8:30 a.m. EST) on Monday.” Following a one-hour delay “due to cold temperatures at the company’s West Texas site, however, Blue Origin announced a scrub on X, formerly known as Twitter.” Officials said, “We’re scrubbing #NS24 today due to a ground system issue the team is troubleshooting. We’ll provide a new launch target for this week soon.”
Full Story (SPACE)