SpaceX has decided to postpone its first crewed flight of its dragon capsule for NASA. The launch was supposed to take place in late 2017 but it has been delayed in the wake of the SpaceX rocket explosion back on September 1st 2016. According to NASA, The Dragon capsule is expected to go with its original plans of a crewed flight come May 2018.
This delay was expected as many had speculated that there would be a delay after the September explosion when a Falcon rocket exploded while it was being fueled. SpaceX announced that this delay would happen as it continues to investigate the incident. “As this investigation has been conducted, our Commercial Crew team has continued to work closely with NASA and is completing all planned milestones for this period,” SpaceX said in a statement to The Verge. “We are carefully assessing our designs, systems, and processes taking into account the lessons learned and corrective actions identified. Our schedule reflects the additional time needed for this assessment and implementation.”
SpaceX's decision to delay this launch marks yet another delay for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the space agency's initiative to fly astronauts on American-made rockets again. Through the program, two private companies - SpaceX and Boeing - are building vehicles that are capable of carrying people into lower Earth orbit for NASA.
With delays for SpaceX and Boeing causing longer delays for NASA's hope for a crewed spaceflight in lower orbit. Luckily, this is a sign that both companies are taking serious measures to ensure that there will be safe travels for those who are traveling onboard space crafts.
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