SpaceX Postpones CRS-3 Launch for At Least Two Weeks

SpaceX has decided to postpone its planned Sunday launch of a cargo mission to the International Space Station until at least March 30, with April 2 as a backup date.

This is SpaceX’s third operational ISS cargo mission, SpaceX CRS-3, and was scheduled for launch at 4:41 am EDT on Sunday morning.  In addition to delivering cargo to the space station, it will test the “landing legs” on the SpaceX first stage.

A statement on SpaceX’s website reads as follows:

“To ensure the highest possible level of mission assurance and allow additional time to resolve remaining open items, SpaceX is now targeting March 30th  for the CRS-3 launch, with April 2nd  as a back-up.  These represent the earliest available launch opportunities given existing schedules, and are currently pending approval with the Range.

“Both Falcon 9 and Dragon are in good health; 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.”