Launch of ISS-bound Crew Dragon-5 with Russian cosmonaut aboard again postponed due to Hurricane Ian - NASA

WASHINGTON. Sept 29 (Interfax) - The launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon-5 spacecraft with Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina on board and bound for the International Space Station (ISS) has been moved from October 4 to October 5 because of Hurricane Ian, NASA said.

According to NASA, the Crew-5 mission to the ISS is scheduled to take off no earlier than the evening of Wednesday, October 5, with a backup opportunity on Friday, October 7, being maintaining as well. NASA specialists are also studying launch opportunities on October 6, 8 and 9.

NASA said the day before that the launch had been rescheduled from October 3 to October 4 as the state of Florida braced for Hurricane Ian.

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is continuing to monitor the impact of the hurricane and may again adjust the launch date if need be, it said.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center has classified Hurricane Ian as a Category 2 storm. Winds are forecast to reach 169 kilometers per hour. Meanwhile, the hurricane is moving to the northeast at a speed of about 13 kilometers per hour. The center of the storm is around 140 kilometers southwest of Orlando, Florida. More than 2.5 million people were under mandatory evacuation orders.