First astronaut launch since 2011 still a go despite weather concerns

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Demo-2 mission, Monday, May 25, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceX’s crew transportation system. Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are scheduled to launch at 4:33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 27, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fa. — Weather conditions threatening to scrub the nation’s first astronaut launch in nine years are improving, NASA said Tuesday.

The latest report from officials estimated the highly anticipated flight had a 60% chance of liftoff, up from 40% the day prior.

“As of right now, we are go for launch,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a news conference. “The trend is in the right direction, and we are very, very excited.”

The historic mission is a collaboration between NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Veteran astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to take the Crew Dragon spacecraft on its first human-crewed and final test flight to the International Space Station. The US has been paying Russia to fly personnel to the ISS since the termination of its shuttle program in 2011.

“We hoped to be flying people by 2014,” said Scott Altman, a former NASA astronaut. “It’s now 2020, and we’re only on the cusp, but we are here.”

Altman said a successful flight could be a giant leap forward for the future of American space travel. He and others hoped the public/private partnership would help pave the way for the commercial sector to handle more routine missions soon. NASA could then be free to focus on shooting for the stars.

“NASA looking to do the deep space exploration, get things set so we can go back to the moon,” Altman said. “Commercial crews then filling in the low-Earth orbit.”

Success might also be a boon for the Sunshine State. Advocacy group Space Florida believed the mission would further encourage private investment in the Space Coast, bringing in more companies, jobs, and opportunities.

“We’re looking at making Florida the primary port of entry for human and economic opportunity in the Solar System,” Dale Ketcham, Space Florida’s vice president of government and external affairs, said. “It’s roughly analogous to the Port of London in the British Empire.”

At last check, liftoff was still set for 4:33 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The astronauts plan to dock with the ISS and remain there for an indeterminate period. Officials said Behnken and Hurley would likely return when weather permitted.

Pending a successful final test, the first full crew launch of the Crew Dragon craft is slated for August of this year.

This story was originally published by Forrest Saunders on WPTV in Palm Beach, Florida.