NASA and SpaceX delay Crew-8 launch to International Space Station

(CNN) — SpaceX and NASA mission managers delayed the scheduled launch of Crew-8 to the International Space Station on Saturday night due to high winds.

The call to cancel tonight’s attempt to send four Crew-8 astronauts into low-Earth orbit came after they climbed into their space suits, but before they slid into special Tesla vehicles carrying them to the launch pad .

The Space Force’s forecast for the launch, scheduled at 11:16 p.m. ET, had only a 40% chance of favorable weather on the launch pad.

An earlier attempt at 12:04 a.m. Friday was also canceled due to poor weather at emergency abortion sites along the US East Coast.

Crew-8 is the ninth flight with humans in NASA’s Commercial Crew program, in which the space agency pays private companies to carry astronauts into orbit.

NASA Commander Matthew Dominique, NASA Pilot Michael Barrett, NASA Mission Specialist Janet Epps and Astronaut Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos are scheduled to visit the space station where they will remain until the end of the year.

The next launch opportunity for Crew-8 will come this Sunday at 10:53 pm ET.