SpaceX to try to launch its first manned flight this Saturday evening

SpaceX will attempt to launch two NASA astronauts into space on Saturday despite uncertain weather, the company and the head of the space agency have announced. Takeoff is scheduled at 3:22 p.m. (9:22 p.m. in Paris) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"We are preparing for launch today," tweeted Jim Bridenstine, the head of the US space agency, adding that the risk of cancellation due to bad weather remains 50%. Elon Musk, the boss of SpaceX, posted a similar message.

All systems go for Crew Dragon's test flight with @NASA astronauts @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug. Teams are keeping an eye on weather. Webcast will go live at ~ 11:00 am EDT → https://t.co/bJFjLCilmc pic.twitter.com/AXDGNfqv0K

For fear of lightning, the first attempt to launch the Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station (ISS) with two astronauts on board was canceled Wednesday, only 17 minutes before scheduled takeoff time.

> More information to follow.