SpaceX's next crewed mission to the International Space Station has been delayed due to a leak in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system, NASA announced on Saturday (Aug. 29). The Crew-13 flight was previously scheduled to launch on Sept. 12 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
What Happened
NASA officials confirmed an oxidizer leak in the Dragon capsule's propulsion system prompted the delay. Joint NASA and SpaceX teams are performing additional tests and data review and will complete any necessary rework prior to launch, according to the update. A new target date for the mission has not yet been announced.
Why It Matters
The Crew-13 mission marks the 13th operational astronaut flight SpaceX will conduct for NASA to the orbiting laboratory (not counting the Demo-2 crewed test flight in May 2020). The four crew members—NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Josh Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov—are slated for a seven-month stay aboard the station. During the mission, the crew is expected to support station maintenance, conduct extravehicular activities (spacewalks), manage visiting vehicle capture operations, and carry out scientific experiments. The delay underscores the critical importance of propulsion system integrity on crewed spacecraft before launch.
The Bottom Line
NASA and SpaceX have not set a new launch date for Crew-13 while teams continue troubleshooting the oxidizer leak in the Dragon capsule's propulsion system.