CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX aimed to launch its third crew a little before sunrise Friday, this time using a recycled capsule and rocket.
The four astronauts, representing the U.S., Japan and France, were supposed to fly to the International Space Station on Thursday.
But liftoff was delayed because of poor weather offshore. SpaceX’s Dragon capsule requires calm waves and winds in case an emergency splashdown is needed during the climb to orbit.
Friday's forecast should be much improved, officials said. Liftoff was set for 5:49 a.m. EDT. “Our friends on the @Space_Station are expecting us to show up and we don’t want to be late,” tweeted French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. “They even installed my bedroom recently and literally made my bed .