SpaceX postpones crew-swap launch, delaying astronauts' return from extended stay

The Crew-10 mission, a routine ISS rotation by NASA and SpaceX, was set to launch Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center but was postponed due to a ground system issue at the launchpad, said CNN.

The issue originated from a hydraulics system responsible for controlling one of the two clamps that secure the upper part of the rocket while it remains on the launchpad.

SpaceX said that the Crew-10 mission could be rescheduled for launch as early as Thursday at 7.26 p.m. Eastern Time (2326GMT), but no final decision has been made yet.

When the mission launches, a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket will transport the four Crew-10 astronauts—NASA’s Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov—into orbit.

Upon arriving at the ISS, Crew-10 astronauts Ayers, McClain, Onishi and Peskov will undergo a brief handover period with Crew-9 members Williams, Wilmore, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov. Once complete, Crew-9 will return to Earth. Their departure was initially set for March 16 if Wednesday’s launch had proceeded, but the timeline is now uncertain.

Williams and Wilmore have been in orbit since last June, following their crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule. Originally planning to stay for a week, they remained due to helium leaks and propulsion issues, which led NASA to deem the Starliner unsafe for their return.