SpaceX, NASA Delay Demo-1 Test Flight to February at the Earliest

The SpaceX Demo-1 uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station has been pushed back once again to make room for additional hardware testing and reviews.

NASA and SpaceX will announce a new launch date following talks with representatives from the ISS Program and the Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, the U.S. space agency said Thursday.

NASA noted, though, that the rescheduled test flight will take place “no earlier than February”.

This is the second time that the Demo-1 test flight has been delayed. It was originally scheduled for Jan. 7 before being moved to Jan. 17.

The Demo-1 uncrewed test flight will send the Crew Dragon capsule to the ISS to evaluate system functionality in preparation for eventual crewed missions.

SpaceX is developing Crew Dragon under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.