Tomorrow's launch of spacecraft on board Mr. Hoshide postponed for one day due to weather

The private spacecraft on which four astronauts, including Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, will be postponed for one day due to the weather, and will be sent from the United States to the International Space Station before 7:00 pm on the 23rd of Japan time. Will be launched.

NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration has indicated that the weather will improve and that the weather will be suitable for launch on the 23rd.

Akihiko Hoshide, a Japanese astronaut, and astronauts from the United States and France, a total of four people, boarded the second American civilian spacecraft, the Crew Dragon, on the 23rd of Japan time at 6 pm It will be launched from Florida, USA at 1:49 and will arrive at the space station on the 24th.

Initially, it was scheduled to be launched on the 22nd, but the launch was postponed for one day because the wind is strong and it is expected that the waves in the sea area where the spacecraft will land will be high in an emergency.

Before the launch, officials such as NASA held a press conference and explained the reason for the postponement, saying, "We must consider the weather in the sea area so that the crew can be rescued in the unlikely event of an escape."

He also said that the weather would be better for the new launch date and that the weather would be suitable for the launch.

Mr. Hoshide will stay at the space station for about half a year on his third space flight, and will be the second Japanese captain after Mr. Koichi Wakata, as well as conducting scientific experiments.

Soichi Noguchi is currently staying at the space station, so when Hoshide goes to space, two Japanese people, the first since 2010 and Naoko Yamazaki, will stay in space at the same time. I will.

Emphasizing the importance of promoting space development in collaboration with private companies

Prior to the launch of a private spacecraft on which Mr. Hoshide and others will board, NASA and others met and emphasized the importance of promoting space development in collaboration with private companies.

Mr. Hoshide will stay at the International Space Station for about half a year to carry out scientific experiments and the release of small satellites.

On the 21st before the launch, executives of the organizations to which the astronauts belong, such as acting Secretary of State for NASA, met at the Kennedy Space Center and talked about their expectations for this flight.

In this, Acting Secretary Jersey said, "This is the third launch in less than a year. We are proud that safe and reliable transportation has become possible." We evaluated that it became possible to transport more efficiently.

On top of that, "Private space transportation is very important for research and technological development at the International Space Station. We will proceed with research and technological development toward the Artemis program to send astronauts to the moon again and the plan to aim for Mars in the future. It is necessary, "he stressed that collaboration with private companies is important for NASA's future space program.