SpaceX has rescheduled to June 3 the launch of a Dragon spacecraft that will bring crew supplies, scientific research and equipment to the International Space Station, USA Today reported Thursday.
The company’s 11th cargo resupply mission was originally slated for deployment on Thursday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA‘s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA said the new launch date will allow Dragon and Orbital ATK‘s Cygnus cargo spacecraft to pass each other in orbit as the latter leaves ISS.
Expedition 52 Flight Engineers Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson will operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm to release Cygnus on June 4 then capture Dragon on June 5, NASA added.
Cygnus will stay in orbit to perform the Spacecraft Fire Experiment and deploy four small Nanoracks satellites before deorbiting on June 11 to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.