BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — With NASA’s Crew 12 mission scheduled to launch Friday morning, many in Central Florida will be watching closely after the launch was scrubbed twice.
While delays can frustrate spectators and crew alike, space experts say they are often a reassuring sign that safety systems are functioning as intended.
Every rocket launch is a complex, high-stakes operation. When astronauts are on board, the margin for error becomes even smaller.
“As soon as there’s precious cargo on board like human beings, there are a few extra things, and it’s not just about the rocket,” said Alain Berinstain, Director of the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida.
Crewed missions require additional layers of protection and oversight. Those include abort systems, parachutes, and rescue teams positioned on the ground and at sea.
Each system must be checked and verified before launch controllers can give the final approval.
“Many, many things have to go exactly right,” said Berinstain. ”Only one thing needs to go wrong, but that says the system is working. It says that things are being checked. It says that we’re only going to rely on the backup systems if we have to.”
Still, launch scrubs can also take a psychological toll on astronauts, who enter quarantine weeks before liftoff.
During that time, crews are isolated, closely monitored, and required to stay mission-ready while waiting for a launch window that may shift repeatedly.
“A few days, a few weeks is frustrating, of course,” said Berinstain. ”It causes anxiety for sure. There’s a little more isolation, but it gets them to bond even better as they go through this together.”
Florida’s weather is another frequent factor in launch delays.
“It can feel a little bit weird when it’s a beautiful sunny day and they’ll scrub the launch for weather reasons, and it’s normal to ask ourselves why, why is that happening?” Berinstain said.
Even when conditions at ground level appear ideal, dangerous winds miles above the Earth or rough seas far downrange make launching unsafe.
Experts say the careful decision-making behind each scrub plays a critical role in advancing human spaceflight.
Lessons learned from missions like Crew-12 help inform future endeavors, including NASA’s Artemis missions aimed at returning astronauts to the moon.
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