Launch of Space Station Crew Postponed

NASA and SpaceX postponed a planned Monday launch of a four-member crew to the International Space Station due to a ground systems issue.

The decision came less than three minutes before the spacecraft was due to lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

A backup launch date had been set for Tuesday, but NASA said due to expected unfavorable weather conditions the next launch attempt will be March 2. 

The four-person crew includes two Americans, one Russian and one astronaut from the United Arab Emirates.

NASA said their planned six-month mission includes a range of scientific experiments including studying how materials burn in microgravity, collecting microbial samples from outside the space station and “tissue chip research on heart, brain, and cartilage functions.”