Space Station

Running three days late because of a last-minute technical glitch, a four-man space station crew, including a Russian cosmonaut and the first Arab to be assigned to a long duration spaceflight, braced for a second launch try early Thursday atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX scrubbed the launch from Florida of a four-man crew heading to the International Space Station early Monday with less than three minutes remaining in the countdown, delaying the start of a six-month mission to examine a problem with a ground system needed to ignite the Falcon 9 rocket’s main engines.

SpaceX is counting down to the deep overnight launch early Monday of a Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule carrying two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and a history-making United Arab Emirates astronaut to the International Space Station.

NASA and SpaceX officials gave the green light Saturday night to continue preparations for launch of the next crew mission to the International Space Station Monday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX transported a Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft to pad 39A on Wednesday, Feb. 22, for final preparations to carry a four-man crew to the International Space Station on NASA’s Crew-6 mission.

SpaceX has postponed the launch of another batch of Starlink internet satellites from Thursday as the company’s team in Florida prioritizes preparations for the launch of a four-man next week bound for the International Space Station.

Two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and an Emirati flew to the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday to begin preparations for launch early Monday on a SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to replace four crew members aboard the International Space Station who are wrapping up a five-month stay.