SpaceX pushes Polaris Dawn astronaut launch due to ‘a ground-side helium leak’ – Spaceflight Now
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft stand ready to launch the Polaris Dawn commercial astronaut mission from Launch Complex 39A. Liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is set for no earlier than 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 UTC) on Aug. 27, 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now
Update 8:19 p.m. EDT: SpaceX stood down from a launch opportunity Tuesday morning and is pivoting to a 24-hour backup window on Wednesday, Aug. 28.
A commercial astronaut mission of historic firsts is set to launch in the predawn hours of Wednesday morning. The four members of the Polaris Dawn flight will climb aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon to embark on a roughly five-day, free-flying mission orbiting the Earth.
The crew, led by billionaire-entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, will go further than humans have ven...