Stranded Astronauts Face Extended Wait as NASA Delays Launch

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.—NASA’s launch intended to bring home astronauts stranded on the International Space Station for over nine months due to a problematic Boeing test flight has been postponed. The countdown was halted on March 12 with just over 43 minutes remaining.

SpaceX’s tenth crewed mission to the space station, as part of NASA’s commercial crew initiative, remained on Launch Pad 39-A due to hydraulic issues affecting one of the clamps that secure the Falcon 9 rocket. All other mission components, including the launch vehicle, spacecraft, and crew, were ready for launch.

This decision followed nearly three hours of efforts by ground crews to resolve the issue. Crew-10 commander Anne McClain responded to the update calmly, stating to mission control, “We’ll be ready when the equipment is ready.”

The arrival of the four-member crew, comprised of McClain, Nichole Ayers (Pilot), JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi (Mission Specialist), and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov (Mission Specialist), was intended to mark the countdown for the return of two astronauts who have been on the space station for nine months.

This mission represents the latter part of a complex rescue operation aimed at retrieving astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose eight-day mission was extended due to technical issues during the Boeing CST-100 Starliner test flight.

NASA officials opted to launch Crew-9 with two members, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, along with essential equipment for Wilmore and Williams’ return, seamlessly integrating into the resident Expedition 72 crew on the space station.

During this extended period, Williams took on the role of Commander of Expedition 72, officially transferring command to cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin on March 7 in a ceremonial event ahead of her return to Earth.

Now, Crew-10 is prepared to officially assume the crew’s responsibilities. Upon their arrival, they will join Ovchinin, cosmonaut Ivan Vagner, and NASA astronaut Don Pettit to complete the final segment of Expedition 72.

Gorbunov, Hague, Wilmore, and Williams are set to return aboard Crew-9’s SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule after familiarizing the incoming crew with ongoing scientific operations and station maintenance. Their exact return timing is still contingent on weather conditions and Crew-10’s successful arrival.

Though typically a five-day process, NASA officials indicated that the handover from Crew-9 to Crew-10 will be expedited to two days to conserve supplies.

NASA and SpaceX have mentioned potential backup launch opportunities, with one available in less than 24 hours, scheduled for 7:26 p.m. ET on March 13.

However, NASA has not yet confirmed whether that launch opportunity will be pursued, as it hinges on the timely resolution of the hydraulic system issue.