NASA and SpaceX postponed the launch of the Crew-10 mission on Wednesday, delaying the long-anticipated return of U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the International Space Station. The launch, set to carry a replacement crew to the ISS, was halted due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm on the Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA announced a revised launch schedule, targeting no earlier than 7:03 p.m. ET on Friday after a separate delay due to high winds and rain forecast in the flight path of the Crew Dragon capsule. If successful, Crew-9 astronauts Wilmore and Williams could begin their return journey next Wednesday.
The mission had been expedited by two weeks following calls from former U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to bring Wilmore and Williams back earlier than planned. Wilmore and Williams, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will return to Earth aboard a capsule that has been docked at the ISS since September.
The two NASA astronauts were originally transported to the ISS in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which later encountered propulsion issues. NASA deemed it unsafe for their return, forcing an extended stay in orbit. The situation has sparked political controversy, with Trump and Musk criticizing former President Joe Biden for the delayed homecoming.
Boeing developed Starliner under a $4.5 billion contract with NASA, meant to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which has been NASA’s sole operational crew transport since 2020. However, Starliner’s development has been plagued by engineering failures and cost overruns, delaying its certification for routine missions.
Source: Swifteradio.com
