SpaceX’s next launches have been postponed by international travel restrictions imposed because of the growing coronavirus pandemic.
The launch that would have sent a Falcon 9 rocket to deliver a satellite into orbit around Earth, was originally scheduled for March 30. The satellite is part of a program for the Argentinian space agency CONAE. Now it seems that launch won’t take place and it is unclear exactly when it may be rescheduled. The launch was set to take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
On Tuesday, however, the Air Force’s 45th Space Wing confirmed that the timing for SpaceX’s upcoming launch has been put on hold due to the impact of the current coronavirus crisis.
It was inevitable that SpaceX launches and schedules would be affected by the coronavirus pandemic The spread of the virus has affected every aspect of our lives, and it is not surprising at all to see that it caught up with SpaceX too.
On the other hand, NASA had been forced to place all of its centers in the U.S. on lockdown and pause work on some of its ongoing priority missions, including its James Webb Telescope project and building of the Artemis program deep-space exploration spacecraft.
The Mars 2020 mission is still expected to launch in July, though it is also possible to be pushed back before then. The James Webb Space Telescope, on the other hand, will likely face significant delays as work on the project is paused. It seems, the telescope project, delayed so many times, will have to wait.