NASA, SpaceX Push Back Crew-13 Launch After Oxidizer Leak Found on Dragon

NASA and SpaceX are adjusting the launch date for the agency's Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station after detecting an oxidizer leak on the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system. No new target date has been announced as of August 30.

The leak was found during standard prelaunch spacecraft processing. Joint NASA and SpaceX teams are performing additional tests and data review and will complete any necessary rework before launch. A new target date will be announced once available.

Crew-13 will carry four crew members to the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively. They will be joined by CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, who will serve as mission specialists. After arriving at the space station, the four will become members of Expedition 75.

The crew will enter quarantine about two weeks prior to flight from the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Crew-13 will lift off aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft on the company's Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The delay allows engineers to address the oxidizer leak detected on Dragon's propulsion system before committing the vehicle to a crewed flight.

NASA and SpaceX will announce a new target launch date once testing and any required rework are complete. Updates will be provided through the agency's commercial crew blog and the space station's social media accounts.