Due to problems with the ignition system, the departure of two Americans, a Russian and an Emirati to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed. A few minutes before the scheduled launch of the "Crew Dragon" rocket, the process was canceled at the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida early Monday morning (local time), as seen on a live broadcast by the US space agency Nasa. When exactly the next launch attempt of the spacecraft of the private space company SpaceX of Elon Musk will be made, was initially not known.
For almost an hour, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Andrei Fedyayev and Sultan al-Nijadi had to remain in the capsule, waiting for the fuel to be drained. The three astronauts and the cosmonaut were expected on the ISS on Tuesday. It is planned that the four astronauts will stay there for six months.
For the umpteenth time since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine about a year ago - and the resulting immense tensions between the USA and Russia - astronauts of both countries are to launch into space together.
On board the ISS are currently Sergei Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, Frank Rubio, Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, Koichi Wakata and Anna Kikina. The "Crew-5" - Mann, Cassada, Wakata and Kikina - is scheduled to fly back to Earth in a few days.
For Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio, the return is delayed because a leak was discovered on the Soyuz capsule with which they came to the ISS in September. According to experts, it was caused by the impact of a micrometeorite. That's why a replacement spacecraft arrived at the ISS at the weekend, with which the three are now likely to return to Earth in September - instead of March, as originally planned.