14 DAY TRIAL // In a short statement posted online on their official website, officials with the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) announce that the launch date for their third resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has been pushed back by about two weeks. The flight was originally supposed to launch on Monday, March 16.
The Hawthorne, California-based company now states that it targets March 30 as a potential launch date, while reserving an option to additionally delay the mission until April 2, depending on circumstances. The statement says that SpaceX needs more time to resolve “remaining open items,” but no additional details are provided.
March 30 and April 2 are the earliest launch opportunities available for the unmanned Dragon space capsule and its Falcon 9 medium-lift rocket. These dates have yet to be confirmed by officials at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), whose launch pads SpaceX uses to launch its missions.
The announcement also says that the delay was caused by the need to “ensure the highest possible level of mission assurance,” again without providing specifics. The current ISS resupply flight, the third SpaceX will conduct with the Dragon/Falcon 9 combo, will deliver important supplies to the station, including numerous cubesats and several important experiments.
Additionally, the CRS-3 flight represents the first time an upgraded version of the Dragon capsule will be used for orbital cargo delivery.