NASA announced on Wednesday a delay in the SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), postponing the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been in orbit for nine months.
The replacement crew must arrive at the ISS before Wilmore and Williams can depart, but a last-minute technical issue forced NASA and SpaceX to halt the launch.
Launch Scrubbed Due to Hydraulic System Issue
Less than four hours before the scheduled evening liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, engineers detected a problem with a critical ground-based hydraulic system. This system controls the retraction of one of two arms securing the Falcon rocket to its launch tower.
“There was an issue with the hydraulic system on the ground side,” NASA launch commentator Derrol Nail stated. He clarified that the rocket and spacecraft remained in good condition, as reported by AFP.
The four Crew-10 astronauts were already strapped into their capsule when SpaceX made the call to cancel the launch, just under an hour before liftoff. While no new launch date was immediately announced, the next attempt could take place as soon as Thursday night.
Crew-10’s Mission and Crew-9’s Return
Once Crew-10 reaches the ISS, they will relieve the current station occupants, including Williams and Wilmore, who have been awaiting their return trip after their extended stay. The two test pilots were originally set to return after a brief mission in June, but unexpected malfunctions with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft left them stranded. NASA ultimately decided to return the troubled Starliner to Earth without a crew, rerouting Williams and Wilmore’s return aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon instead.
NASA astronaut Anne McClain will command Crew-10, with Nichole Ayers serving as pilot. The team also includes Takuya Onishi from the Japanese space agency JAXA and Kirill Peskov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. This marks the first spaceflight for Ayers and Peskov, while McClain and Onishi will be making their second trips to space.
Upon Crew-10’s arrival, Crew-9—including Williams, Wilmore, NASA’s Nick Hague, and Roscosmos’ Alexander Gorbunov—will begin preparations to return to Earth. The ISS will briefly host both crews before Crew-9’s departure. However, unfavorable weather conditions near Florida’s splashdown sites could further extend their stay.
