---
title: "NASA Delays SpaceX Launch Due to “Medical Issue”"
description: "SpaceX's fourth crewed launch to the International Space Station on board a Crew Dragon spacecraft had to be delayed yet again due to a medical issue."
date: "2021-11-01"
modified: "2021-11-01"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-delays-spacex-launch-medical-issue"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
  - "Medical"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "crew dragon"
  - "NASA"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Delays SpaceX Launch Due to “Medical Issue”

![SpaceX's fourth crewed launch to the International Space Station on board a Crew Dragon spacecraft had to be delayed yet again due to a medical issue.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/nasa-delays-spacex-launch-medical-issue.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Minor Medical Issue

SpaceX's fourth crewed launch to the International Space Station on board a Crew Dragon spacecraft had to be delayed yet again — this time due to a medical issue.

The mission, dubbed Crew-3, was initially slated for Sunday, but has been pushed to no earlier than Saturday. The launch was already pushed to Wednesday [due to "unfavorable" weather](<https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/coverage-update-for-nasa-s-spacex-crew-3-briefings-events-broadcasts/>) over the weekend.

NASA has yet to reveal details regarding the "minor medical issue involving one of its crew members," according to [a statement](<https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2021/11/01/nasas-spacex-crew-3-launch-delayed-from-nov-3/>). "The issue is not a medical emergency and not related to COVID-19."

## Questions Remain

It's unclear at the time of writing which of the four crew members has fallen ill.

"Teams will continue to monitor crew health as they evaluate potential launch opportunities at the end of the week," today's statement reads.

According to [a tweet](<https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1455257604603748355>) by *CBS* space journalist William Harwood, the delay "is the first for a piloted mission due to a medical issue since shuttle flight STS-36 in 1990 when commander John Creighton fell ill before launch."

**More on Crew Dragon:** *[Space Toilet No Longer Oozes Human Pee, SpaceX Proclaims](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-toilet-fixed-spacex>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)