SpaceX now expects Crew-3 to launch November 10th

SpaceX and partners are still struggling to put Crew-3 into orbit. NASA has delayed the mission's launch yet again, to November 10th at 9:03PM Eastern. They moved the liftoff date after deciding to return Crew-2 (itself delayed to November 8th) first and avoid "weather considerations" affecting launch as well as recovery, according to the European Space Agency. SpaceX noted there was an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for the new date.

Crew-3 should dock with the International Space Station at roughly 7:10PM Eastern on November 11th. The launch was originally set for Halloween but was pushed to November 3rd due to weather. NASA postponed the launch again, aiming for a late November 6th launch, after a crew member suffered a "minor medical issue."

Delays are common in spaceflight, including for Crew Dragon flights, but Crew-3 mission has suffered more headaches than you might expect given weeks of setbacks. While SpaceX and its agency allies clearly don't have much choice in the matter, this isn't what they'd want to endure as they try to make privately-operated spaceflights more routine.

Following Crew-2’s return to Earth, Falcon 9 will launch Dragon’s third long-duration crew mission to the @Space_Station as soon as Wednesday, November 10; weather forecast is 80% favorable for liftoff pic.twitter.com/xOFGVw3fOP

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 7, 2021