SpaceX released the postponement of its mission to return two astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) due to an issue with the hydraulic system at the launch site. The launch in the evening that was planned was postponed, and the company has cited a ground issue with the launch tower rather than an issue on the spacecraft.
The mission, intended to return NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams home, is now targeting a Friday launch at 7:03 p.m. ET. Wilmore and Williams have been on board the ISS since June of 2024, after the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. They were originally planned to spend about a week on the ISS. Nonetheless, after several problems with the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft, NASA and Boeing decided to let them stay on the ISS until early 2025 when Crew-10 on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft was to be launched.
The two astronauts were integrated into the Crew-9 mission, assisting with research and other responsibilities. As their extended stay went on, NASA officials indicated that Wilmore and Williams had exhausted a lot of the supplies that were meant for the ISS crew. The two’s return was contingent upon the completion of Crew-9’s six-month mission and the arrival of Crew-10, which is now scheduled to take over.
SpaceX clarified that the issue hindering the mission from taking off was in the ground systems, not the spacecraft. Even as the delay is an additional burden, the success of the mission will have the two astronauts safely returned to Earth. Spacexing has posted a live webcast of the mission, starting one hour and 20 minutes before launch, on its website and social media accounts. NASA will also provide coverage.
The follow-on mission is being developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which contracts firms like SpaceX to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. The astronauts’ visit to the ISS assisted in propelling research aimed towards human exploration of the area beyond low-Earth orbit, with benefits to space exploration as well as life on Earth.
