SpaceX's Crew-4 mission to ISS deferred to April 20 owing to busy schedule, informs NASA

SpaceX's much anticipated Crew-4 launch suffered a minor setback as it has been postponed by a day from April 19. In a mission update, NASA revealed that the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is targeted no earlier than April 20 at 4:07 pm (IST). SpaceX will send a fresh batch of four astronauts in a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Launch delayed due to tight launch schedule

The news regarding the delay was shared by Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, during a news conference where he cited a busy launch schedule as the reason, Space.com reported. Prior to the Crew-4 mission, SpaceX will launch Axiom Space's Ax-1 mission which is targeted for April 6.

The team of Crew-4 includes three NASA astronauts- Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins along with one European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Lindgren will serve as the mission commander, whereas Hines would be the pilot with Watkins and Cristoforetti both as mission specialists. Though it would be the first spaceflight for Watkins and Hines, Lindgren and Cristoforetti will venture on the second space mission of their career. 

Recently, mission commander Lindgren announced the name of the Dragon spacecraft the astronauts will be boarding to reach the space station. "FREEDOM!! Crew-4 will fly to the International Space Station in a new Dragon capsule named 'Freedom.' The name celebrates a fundamental human right, and the industry and innovation that emanate from the unencumbered human spirit (sic)', the NASA astronaut announced on Twitter.

SpaceX's busy schedule

The company has two major launches this month with the first one being the Ax-1 mission on April 6. In what would be Axiom Space's first private astronaut mission, four astronauts would visit the ISS for an eight-day stay under a mission that would last 10 days. The crew includes former NASA astronaut and Axiom Vice President Michael López-Alegría along with three entrepreneurs and paying customers-  Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe.