CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s plan to celebrate the first space launch of American astronauts from U.S. soil in nearly a …
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s plan to celebrate the first space launch of American astronauts from U. S. soil in nearly a decade on Wednesday hit a snag when the mission was postponed at the last minute because of bad weather. But the president said he plans on returning to Florida for Saturday’s rescheduled launch.
The president and first lady Melania Trump arrived at Cape Canaveral to a steady drizzle more than an hour before the scheduled 4:33 p.m. EDT liftoff. But officials announced shortly before the scheduled launch that it would have to be put off.
“Thank you to @NASA and @SpaceX for their hard work and leadership,” Trump tweeted soon after beginning his flight back to Washington. “Look forward to being back with you on Saturday!”
Trump toured part of the Kennedy Space Center soon after his arrival on the Florida coast and offered well wishes to the astronauts, who were already on the rocket ship.
“Good luck and God be with you,” Trump said. “It’s a dangerous business, but they’re the best there is.”
But with just 16 minutes to go in the countdown, the launch was scrubbed because of the danger of lightning. Trump immediately headed for Air Force One and scrapped plans to deliver remarks at the space center.
It was Trump’s latest visit to an important 2020 battleground state as the president emerges from his White House bubble and expands his travel itinerary.
