The first NASA manned launch since 2011 was scheduled for 27 May 2020. A SpaceX rocket with Crew Dragon capsule was to carry two American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) when word came that the mission would be scrubbed due to unfavorable weather conditions. A new launch time is yet to be announced.
News services around the globe followed the proceedings. The Norwegian TV2 channel televised a live report on the launch preparations and among the expert panel on hand were the Norwegian Space Agency’s Pål Brekke and Nikolai Østgaard, leader of the Birkeland Centre for Space Science (BCSS). Prof. Østgaard discussed the April 2018 launch of the ASIM instrument – parts of which were produced by BCSS – on another SpaceX rocket. The interview focused on the ASIM launch to the Columbus module of the ISS and subsequent commissioning of the instrument. Since 2018, ASIM has detected important new information regarding terrestrial gamma-ray flashes that have led to the publication of ground-breaking papers by the BCSS team (Science, Journal of Geophysical Research).
The full interview can be seen on sumo.tv2.no (paid channel).
