WASHINGTON. Feb 22 (Interfax) - The launch of the U.S. Crew Dragon spaceship with Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyayev onboard to the International Space Station (ISS) has been moved from February 26 to February 27, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
"[SpaceX Crew-6 mission] liftoff [...] is slated for Monday, Feb. 27, at 1:45 a.m. EST," NASA said.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program Director Steve Stich explained the delay with the need to complete prelaunch preparations.
A Falcon 9 rocket will launch SpaceX Crew Dragon 6, carrying Fedyayev, from Area 39A of the Kennedy Space Center. The mission will last for six months.
Besides Fedyayev, the other Crew Dragon 6 members are NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg and UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi.
Two ISS missions are underway consistent with the agreement. Russia's Soyuz MS-22 operated by Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio headed to the station in September 2022. The United States' Crew Dragon 5 with Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina onboard took off in October.