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NASA Pushes Back Crew-9 Mission Launch to Saturday

FILE PHOTO: The NASA logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The NASA logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
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NASA Pushes Back Crew-9 Mission Launch to Saturday

FILE PHOTO: The NASA logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The NASA logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo

NASA said on Tuesday the launch of its Crew-9 mission with SpaceX has been pushed back to Sept. 28 due to Tropical Storm Helene.
SpaceX's upcoming Crew Dragon mission, a routine flight called Crew-9, is expected to send three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station, Reuters reported.
Although Helene is moving through the Gulf of Mexico and expected to impact the northwest of region of Florida, it is large enough that high winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral region, from where the mission is set to be launched.
The Crew-9 mission was originally slated to be launched no earlier than Aug. 18, but was pushed back a month to spend more time analyzing issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which remains docked at the station.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are to launch aboard the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS, on what will be the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX under the space agency's Commercial Crew Program.

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EU Countries Take 1st Step to Weaken Protected Status of Wolves

A young wolf stands in the enclosure of the Falkenstein National Park Center. Armin Weigel/dpa
A young wolf stands in the enclosure of the Falkenstein National Park Center. Armin Weigel/dpa
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EU Countries Take 1st Step to Weaken Protected Status of Wolves

A young wolf stands in the enclosure of the Falkenstein National Park Center. Armin Weigel/dpa
A young wolf stands in the enclosure of the Falkenstein National Park Center. Armin Weigel/dpa

Safeguards to protect wolves in the European Union could be weakened in future after member states agreed on Wednesday on the first steps towards easing these measures.

Weakening the protection of wolves aims to facilitate the culling of those deemed a threat to livestock.

Until now, wolves have been highly protected in Europe. In some regions, however, people question whether the status quo is still justified as the number of wolves is growing, dpa reported.

The wolf's protection in the EU is tied to the 1979 Bern Convention, the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

EU ambassadors in Brussels agreed to propose a change to the body in charge of the wildlife protection treaty, EU diplomats told dpa.

Amending the Bern Convention is a first step which could pave the way for the European Commission to propose EU legislation to change the protected status of the wolf at a later stage.

The wolf's comeback in Europe is highly controversial.

Currently, wolves receive strict protection status under EU law with provisions allowing for local authorities to take action, including shooting wolves in case of conflicts with rural communities and farmers.

While some EU countries, including Germany and France, are in favor of easier culling, nature conservation groups campaign for different approaches, like better herd surveillance, night confinement and more guard dogs.

Having been extinct in large parts of Europe until the 1960s, there are currently around 19,000 wolves in the EU, according to conservationists.