cnn's rachel crane is there. hel, the last time we spoke, we didn't know if it was a go, there were tornado warnings. tell me what you know. do we have here? arghh! okay. we lost her. but i can tell you that is the rocket there on the launch pad where within the hour we'll see these two astronauts, doug hurley and bob bebehnken, will taking off. we'll be right back. for all of us. woi felt completely helpless.hed online. my entire career and business were in jeopardy. i called reputation defender. vo: take control of your online reputation. get your free reputation report card at reputationdefender.com. find out your online reputation today and let the experts help you repair it. woman: they were able to restore my good name. vo: visit reputationdefender.com or call 1-877-866-8555. >>> all right. again, back to florida. we're on standby for the final go from kennedy space center for the first launch of astronauts from u.s. soil in the last decade. the last shuttle launch was 2011, the "atlantis." so we're back, cn

rachel crane at the space center. if people remember from wednesday it was just under 17 minutes when the launch was scrubbed so we are close to being past where we were just a few days ago. fingers crossed. we'll be back in just a minute. the word from nasa just a short time ago was there is now a 70% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch up from a previous 50% chance of favorable weather. let's go straight to our meteorologist in atlanta for more on the weather. >> one of the key components is we're only giving it about a 10% chance of lightning. lightning was one of the major factors on wednesday's scrub. this is good news. keep in mind it is not juf the lightning at the surface but they also have to keep an eye on something called the electric field mill, the electric charge in the atmosphere anywhere in the vicinity of the region not necessarily just right at the launch pad. we have a couple storms out there. most are starting to slide south of cape canaveral. there is still a little lightning within

let's go to rachel crane there on the scene. just walk us through what's happening now. i have to tell you, rachel, it's a very different scene. oh, no. our signal just cut out but we saw what the astronauts here were doing. what do they have ahead for them over the next couple of hours as they get ready for this? >> reporter: the astronauts are ahead of schedule, already in the seats, strapped in right now. the weather here though, at kennedy space center, as you can see, my hair there, a tent next to us, it's not cooperating at the moment. obviously, weather in florida can be quite temperament tal, a 50/50 chance that the rocket will have liftoff but the space center and the people tuning around the world are crossing their fingers that this historic launch will happen today. brianna? >> it's just so wild when you think about it. i think we forget how many times these launches get scrubbed because it's been so long, right? since we've had one. it's been what, since 2011, right? it's been nine years. so it's crazy. i will tell you, rachel, just having seen you, like, 20

cnn's rachel crane is live for us at kennedy space center in florida. chel, this is going to be pushed to the weekend now, right? >> reporter: yes, that's correct, jake. today was an instantaneous window, it was supposed to be taking off just a couple of minutes from now, at 4:33 eastern standard time. that launch window has been pushed to saturday at 3:22 p.m. eastern standard time here at the kennedy space center. right now they're basically going through all the measures they had to take to get to this point but in reverse. so they're bringing back the crew arm. they are -- the propellant obviously stopped, they're now removing the pressure from the fuel. that's a 40-minute process. people will come back to the pad to help the astronauts, bob behnken and doug hurley unfortunately come out of their seats. there will be another launch opportunity on may 30. a backup to the backup on may 31, because as we've seen today, these rocket launches are very precarious. they're at the mercy of mother nature. jake, i just want to point out, had there been some ki

let's go to cnn's rachel crane at the kennedy space center in florida. rachel, a very disappointing day for nasa. >> reporter: that's right, wolf, but also pretty typical for these crewed launches. they're often scrubbed for weather. so many things have to go just right to get these guys off the ground because safety is of the utmost importance. it's not just here where they monitor the weather, it's across the ascent path, in case a rescue operation has to be deployed. today it was the weather at the kennedy space center that in fact scrubbed the launch. this was an instantaneous launch window, meaning it had to happen right on time in order for it to take off. so the "crew dragon" could rendezvous with the international space station 250 miles above earth, 19 hours after liftoff. bob and doug were already strapped into the capsule. the hatch was closed. they were loading over a million pounds of propellant into the rocket when this launch was scrubbed. so everybody all across the globe very excited for the next launch window, which will be on saturday a

business and space correspondent rachel crane is joining us from the kennedy space center. , very big day, weather-permitting, rachel. walk us through this. >> reporter: that's the key here, weather-permitting. right now, favorable conditions only at 40%. you know, nasa, for nasa, this launch is a decade in the making. they prepare for years and years. thousands of people, countless hours being put into this, but of course, there's one variable nasa cannot control, and that is mother nature. it's been raining off and on all day here, and nasa doesn't need to just consider the weather here at kennedy space center. it's all up and down the eastern seaboard, up the north atlantic and off the coast of ireland, just in case a rescue operation is necessary. they need to make sure that the weather in that ascent path is clear. now, the reason that this launch is so important to america is that since the retirement of the shuttle program in 2011, we've been reliant on the russians to ferry u.s. astronauts back and forth to the $150 billion investment in the international space stati

cnn's rachel crane is there. and rachel, we've been watching the astronauts there arrive to the launch pad. a big day for america. a big day for spacex. >> reporter: that's right, brianna. we're all hoping here that the weather holds up and that we will be go for a launch in just, you know, a little under three hours now. as you said, the crew just arrived at launch complex 39a, which is the historic launch pad that the "apollo" astronauts blasted to the moon back in 1969. now, doug hurley and bob behnken are suited up. they'll be soon crossing through the crew access arm and getting into the capsule. and at that point, there will be a series of checks that happen to make sure that the rocket is a go for launch. there will be many weather checks, many flight control checks, and then the critical go for launch poll 40 minutes out before launch. but as i said, everybody here at kennedy space center is crossing their fingers, hoping that the weather holds up. but it's important to remember that it's not just the weat

cnn's rachel crane is live at the kennedy space center with more. ng on your end, rachel? >> reporter: this launch is a decade in the making and so much planning goes into having a successful mission. but, of course, one variable nasa has no control over is the weather. as you can see, it is raining here at kennedy space center, but we have a couple of hours until that planned liftoff. so fingers crossed, the weather will cooperate. as of now, it is still 60% favorable. spacex and nasa are set to launch the crew dragon spacecraft, and for first time humans will be on board. the demo 2 mission is a culmination of a decade long partnership between the agency and elon musk's space company. >> this is really the dawn in a new era of space flight. >> reporter: the launch is expected to be the first time a private company has ever sent people into orbit. >> we need to have affordable access to the international space station. and that's really what this launch represents. >> reporter: the two veteran astronauts on board could stay on the iss for up to 110