On Sunday SpaceX and NASA were set to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station but the launch was delayed due to unfavourable weather.

That launch date was then changed to Wednesday but there will once again be a delay following a minor medical issue which NASA insists is not an emergency nor COVID-19 related.

Following this incident, the crew has been placed in quarantine at the NASA Kennedy Space Center where they will remain until the new launch date which is now slated for 6th November.

“The Crew-3 flight will carry NASA astronauts Raja Chari, mission commander; Tom Marshburn, pilot; and Kayla Barron, mission specialist; as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, who will serve as a mission specialist, to the space station for a six-month science mission, staying aboard until late April 2022,” NASA said in a statement.

These four crew members will join NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet. These four are meant to return to Earth soon but NASA is reportedly still evaluating dates in that regard.

“Mission teams are reviewing options including both direct and indirect handovers for the upcoming crew rotation at the microgravity laboratory. Teams will review all options for safely launching and returning crew members and continue the agency’s important work on the International Space Station,” said NASA.

Should this mission go ahead it will be the third time that the SpaceX Crew Dragon has been used to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.