Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return delayed: The REASON behind NASA-SpaceX postponing Falcon 9 Mission

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore , along with their crewmates, were set to return to Earth after a nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). However, just an hour before their scheduled lift-off on March 12, the space agency announced the cancellation of the mission, citing technical issues. Here's why the Crew-10 mission was postponed and what the new timeline looks like.

The planned launch of the Crew-10 mission was to take place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX ’s Dragon spacecraft. However, NASA issued a statement that they decided to "stand down" from the mission, just an hour before lift-off. The reason? A “hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket.”

This issue with the ground support equipment meant that the Falcon 9 rocket could not be safely launched. As a result, astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi (JAXA), and Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos) exited the spacecraft, and the launch was postponed until the problem could be resolved.

After the delay, NASA confirmed the next available launch opportunity would be no earlier than 7:26 PM EDT on March 13, which is 4:56 AM IST on March 14. Coverage of the launch will begin at 3:25 PM EDT (12:55 AM IST on March 14), with docking targeted for 11:30 PM EDT (9:00 AM IST).

The Crew-9 mission will carry NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore, and Aleksandr Gorbunov on their return journey from the ISS, scheduled for March 16. If successful, they will leave the International Space Station at 9:05 AM EDT on March 17.

Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who originally went on a 10-day mission aboard the Boeing Starliner last year, have spent almost an entire year aboard the International Space Station. Their return was initially scheduled for February but has now been postponed several times, with the latest plan for their return on March 16.

They were later joined by NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. All four astronauts were originally set to return together, but the delay has pushed their homecoming to March 16.

The Crew-10 mission delay highlights the complex nature of space travel, where even minor technical issues can result in significant delays. As NASA, SpaceX, and their international partners work to resolve the hydraulic issue, all eyes are on the new launch opportunity on March 13. If all goes according to plan, the astronauts will finally make their long-awaited return to Earth after nearly a year aboard the ISS.