NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission launch delayed to late September: Here's why

NASA and SpaceX's fifth crew rotation mission (Crew-5) to the International Space Station (ISS) is now targeted to launch no earlier than September 29, 2022.

According to the agency, a launch at the end of September will allow SpaceX to complete hardware processing and mission teams will continue to review the launch date based on the space station's visiting spacecraft schedule.

Crew-5 astronauts, Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada of NASA, Koichi Wakata of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, will fly to the space station in Dragon Endurance, which is currently undergoing refurbishment for its second human spaceflight at SpaceX's processing facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Dragon spacecraft previously flew the agency's Crew-3 mission to and from the space station.

The teams are also preparing a first-flight Falcon 9 booster for the Crew-5 mission. SpaceX is removing and replacing the rocket's interstage and some onboard instrumentation after the hardware was damaged during transport from the company's production factory in Hawthorne, California, to its McGregor test facility in Texas for stage testing, NASA said in a statement.

Following installation, the booster will undergo stage testing and be further assessed prior to acceptance and certification for flight.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission is targeted to launch no earlier than Sept. 29, 2022 with NASA astronauts @AstroDuke and @astro_josh, JAXA's @Astro_Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. → https://t.co/CC7DdwaMbJ pic.twitter.com/2wLEa8AS4x

— NASA Astronauts (@NASA_Astronauts) July 21, 2022