SpaceX
Tesla CEO Elon Musk may have to update us about the progress with the two flights again soon. Pictured: Elon Musk speaks near a Falcon 9 rocket during his announcement that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be the first private passenger who will fly around the Moon aboard the SpaceX BFR launch vehicle, at the SpaceX headquarters and rocket factory on September 17, 2018 in Hawthorne, California. - Japanese billionaire businessman, online fashion tycoon and art collector Yusaku Maezawa was revealed as the first tourist who will fly on a SpaceX rocket around the Moon. Getty Images/David McNew

The SpaceX Crew Dragon flight has been delayed to March. However, the new launch date seems to coincide with another SpaceX flight and could cause a difficult situation if it doesn’t happen soon. Here’s what we know about this upcoming release.

According to Teslarati’s report, the Crew Dragon DM-1 launch is now set to happen no earlier than March. Previously, the launch date for the Crew Dragon was supposed to be this February, but the spacecraft has been delayed for its supposed launch since the announcement in December 2018.

While the delay could definitely mean a safer and more successful launch, the Crew Dragon flight is at risk of conflicting with other launches, such as the Falcon Heavy that is also set for liftoff in March. Potentially, both NASA and SpaceX cannot launch vehicles in the same month due to the preparations needed for launches. Both flights will be launching from the same place, the Kennedy Space Center-located Launch Complex 39A (Pad 39A), which cannot handle preparations for both Crew Dragon DM-1 and Falcon Heavy launches at the same time.

Moreover, one of the flights will have to be prioritized to get the ball rolling for SpaceX's and NASA's flight plans. While most flight dates are announced in estimates, the delays cannot continue up to November 2019 as NASA will lose guaranteed access to the International Space Station by then.

As of now, the upcoming SpaceX flights are the DM-1, DM-2 and Falcon Heavy launches. The DM-1 flight is expected to be an unmanned test flight for the DM-2 flight. Meanwhile, DM-2 is a manned spaceflight with two Crew Dragon astronauts slated for June, precisely three months from now.

Meanwhile, the Falcon Heavy launch is set to bring the Arabsat 6A up into orbit. The commercial satellite is expected to bring some improved television and network services to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

For now, we can only wait for NASA and SpaceX to finally iron out the details for this flight or we may not see any launches from them this year.

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