SpaceX Details Repairs Before Latest Crew Mission Launch
SpaceX has described the technical intervention performed before the successful launch of its latest crew mission on Thursday. Four astronauts are now en route to the International Space Station.
SpaceX has detailed the repair work undertaken prior to the successful launch of its latest crew mission on Thursday. The four-person crew is currently on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) following their departure from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft.
The launch occurred at 11:10 am EDT (15:10 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-40. The crew reached orbit nine minutes after liftoff and is expected to dock with the ISS later on Thursday for a six-month expedition.
The mission's launch had been postponed from mid-September to replace a faulty valve within the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system. This task required cutting into a propellant line inside the spacecraft to swap out the defective component. The successful completion of this repair was necessary for the mission to proceed.