SpaceX Rocket Delayed 2 Weeks for Cargo Mission Launch to International Space Station

Earlier this week, SpaceX and NASA announced that the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft (both designed by SpaceX) were set to deliver cargo to the ISS on March 16. Today, they stated that there will be a 2-week delay and that the launch will occur on March 30.

Originally scheduled to launch at 4:41 a.m. on March 16 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, SpaceX builders announced today that the cargo delivery will be delayed until at least March 30. The Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Dragon spacecraft (which is holding the 4,600 pounds of cargo) to the International Space Station.

"Both Falcon 9 and Dragon are in good health," SpaceX officials said in a statement, according to this Fox News article. "Given the critical payloads on board and significant upgrades to Dragon, the additional time will ensure SpaceX does everything possible on the ground to prepare for a successful launch."

SpaceX recently signed a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to provide resupply missions for the International Space Station over the next few years. This is the third launch of the expected 12 cargo missions. This is SpaceX's first mission to the space station since last March, which was the NASA Resupply to ISS Flight #2 by the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. The March 30 launch will be ISS Flight #3.

Besides making the regular cargo delivery, SpaceX  will also deliver a few other items. They'll be carrying a prototype laser communications experiment and a new spacesuit to replace a leaky suit on the ISS. They'll also be supplying new legs for NASA's Humanoid Robonaut 2 robot, which is also aboard the ISS. And finally, the Dragon will launch four cubesats on the resupply mission.

The Dragon is scheduled to return 3,600 pounds of cargo, experiments, and other gear being discarded by the astronauts on the ISS. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were first launched in 2010, but the Falcon is not yet reusable. New models have been built for each of the first three launches. You can visit the Launch Manifest webpage on SpaceX's website to view upcoming and completed space missions.

SpaceX and NASA hope to develop a reusable rocket to bring the Dragon into space for subsequent missions. To read more about the March 30^th launch, visit this Fox News article.