NASA and SpaceX have confirmed that the Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station is on hold after a leak was discovered in the Dragon capsule's propulsion system during prelaunch processing at Cape Canaveral. Mission managers have not yet set a new launch date, saying one will be announced once it's available.
The four-person crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The mission was originally scheduled to lift off September 12 aboard a Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Once aboard the station, the crew is set to carry out a research agenda with real-world medical implications. Plans include studies using stem-cell derived tissues to investigate heart disease and Parkinson's disease, work on crop production methods suited to long-duration spaceflight, and testing of new diagnostic medical equipment.
This story was originally reported by WKMG ClickOrlando.
