The delayed Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station is launched by NASA and SpaceX

The Crew-6 launch was scheduled for February 27th, Monday. However, it was canceled at the eleventh hour due to a problem with the rocket propellant ignition fluid.

Four astronauts have been successfully launched by NASA on their way to the International Space Station (ISS). The crew, known as Crew-6, departed from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle carried by a Falcon 9 rocket at 12:34 AM ET on Thursday, March 2nd.

The crew is expected to arrive at the ISS around 1 AM ET on Friday, where they will join the four members of Crew-5 and three other crew members, making a total of 11 people on board the station. However, this arrangement will be brief, as the Crew-5 astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth in another Crew Dragon in a few days.

“Congratulations to the NASA and SpaceX teams for another history-making mission to the International Space Station!” said NASA administrator Bill Nelson in a statement. Nelson also expressed his belief that the Commercial Crew Program is proof of American innovation and leadership in space, and its benefits are evident through groundbreaking science, innovative technology, and newfound partnership.

Originally scheduled for Monday, February 27th, the launch of Crew-6 was postponed at the last minute due to an issue with the rocket propellant ignition fluid, known as triethylaluminum triethylboron (TEA-TEB). This compound is needed to ignite the propellant used in Falcon 9 rockets, which includes liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1). After NASA and SpaceX identified the problem as a clogged filter in one of the ground systems, the filter was replaced, and the lines were cleaned, allowing the launch to proceed as planned.

The Crew-6 mission comprises NASA’s Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. During their approximately six-month stay at the ISS, the crew will carry out scientific research, including work on human health and preventing contamination of space environments. Al Neyadi will be the second UAE citizen to visit the space station after Hazza Al Mansouri, who took an eight-day trip to the station in 2019.