NASA shifts Crew-5 launch to ISS due to Hurricane Ian

LOS ANGELES - The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than noon next Wednesday, Oct. 5, for the launch of the agency's Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) due to Hurricane Ian, the agency said Thursday.

Mission teams continue to monitor the impacts of Hurricane Ian on the Space Coast and NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and could adjust the launch date again, said NASA.

The Dragon Endurance spacecraft is currently mated to the Falcon 9 rocket and safely secured inside SpaceX's hangar at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

After the storm progresses, teams from NASA and SpaceX will evaluate the potential impacts to the center and determine whether to adjust the mission timeline further, said NASA.

The Crew-5 flight will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina to the ISS.