(Radio Iowa) – The countdown clock is again ticking toward a weekend launch for Iowa native astronaut Peggy Whitson and her record-setting fifth space mission. First set for liftoff June 8th, there’ve been multiple delays due to bad weather at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and mechanical issues on both the Falcon 9 rocket and the docking area on the International Space Station. The launch of Ax-4 is now scheduled for early Sunday morning at 2:42/Central time.

Whitson is commander of the Axiom Space mission along with three crewmates from India, Hungary, and Poland. Whitson, who grew up on a farm near Beaconsfield, has spent 675 days in orbit, so far. She holds the record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut.

Ax-4 Crew (Axiom Space image)

The crew is scheduled to spend two weeks at the space station, conducting a series of some 60 experiments in biology, material and physical sciences, as well as technology.