The launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley has been rescheduled to Saturday, May 30 because of weather concerns.
- May 28, 2020
AceShowbiz - Kelly Clarkson has become a part of NASA's Launch America initiative. On Wednesday, May 27, the current judge on "The Voice" lent her voice as she delivered a rendition of the National Anthem before the attempted launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
During the livestreamed event, the "American Idol" alum performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" virtually from her cabin home in Montana. Sharing her excitement afterward, she tweeted, "I'm over the moon about being asked to participate in #LaunchAmerica… get it? I love space jokes. The Demo-2 launch is happening now and @NASA is live tweeting it!! Safe travels to everyone on board!"
The special event marked the first space mission with a crew to be launched from U.S. soil since 2011. Veteran astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley were set to take off on Wednesday afternoon. Weather concerns, however, delayed the launch which has since been rescheduled to Saturday, May 30.
In the original press release about the Wednesday launch, NASA noted that "the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and is scheduled to dock to the space station at 11:39 A.M. Thursday, May 28."
Its mission was explained to be "SpaceX's final test flight for NASA's Commercial Crew Program and will provide critical data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft, and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, and landing operations."
"The test flight also will provide valuable data toward certification of SpaceX's crew transportation system for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the space station," it continued to read. "SpaceX currently is readying the hardware for the first space station crew rotational mission, which would happen after data from this test flight is reviewed for certification."
