NASA's and SpaceX next manned mission is set to take off on October Month

NASA's and SpaceX next manned mission is set to take off on Halloween

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting October 31 for the launch of the agency's SpaceX Crew-1 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

The US space agency had earlier targeted October 23 for the launch of the mission which comes after the SpaceX Demo-2 test flight which flew astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the space station.

The new target date which falls on Halloween will deconflict the Crew-1 launch and arrival from upcoming Soyuz launch and landing operations, NASA said on Monday.

NASA said the additional time is needed to ensure closure of all open work, both on the ground and aboard the station, ahead of the Crew-1 arrival.

The Crew-1 mission will take astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker of NASA and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the station on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.