Moment NASA SpaceX Crew-11 launch is aborted just seconds before launch

NASA and SpaceX were set to launch the next crew to the International Space Station (ISS) today. However, the launch of Crew-11 was scrubbed just seconds before it was due to leave the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Well into the 80-second countdown, the mission was aborted due to weather.

Just 65 seconds before launch, the four-strong crew aboard the SpaceX Dragon heard a "hold" call. It said: "Hold hold hold, we are standing down for violation of weather rules." During the live stream shown by NASA, another alert was heard, saying: "Dragon SpaceX, bad luck on weather there, we just got clipped by a cumulous cloud right over the launchpad so we ended up scrubbing for weather."

A few minutes later, the Kennedy Space Center shared a message on X, reading: "Due to weather, NASA and SpaceX are standing down from today’s launch attempt."

As the launch was aborted, NASA and SpaceX teams began offloading the rocket to allow the crew to disembark. The launch has been rescheduled for 11.43am from the Kennedy Space Centre.

The Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour, aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, was due to embark on its sixth human spaceflight. This would have made it the mostflown Crew Dragon ever built.

Commander Zena Cardman and pilot Mike Fincke were joined onbaord Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov. It marked the first mission for Cardman and Platonov.

Following a successful launch in the future, the crew will spend at least six months on the orbiting lab to relieve the team sent up in March to stand in for two astronauts grounded by spacecrafts issues.

It will take approximately 39 hours to reach the ISS, which would be a new record for Crew Dragon docking time and mean the astronauts arrive between August 2 and 3.

Crew-11's launch marks the eleventh crew rotation flight as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Programme, and the twelth human-rated Dragon launch.