Spacex delayed the launch of a new astronaut driver’s launch for the International Space Station (ISS), a mission that would have paved the way for the long return of Buch Wilmor and Sun. Williams, two NASA’s astronauts stuck in space in nine months due to a Boeing Starelineer malfunction. Roots Informed
The crew -10 mission was scheduled to remove the ET (2348 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:48 pm, but was closed due to the last minute technical issue with the launchpad, the announcement was made by SpaceX officials during live broadcast. It is not clear when a new launch attempt will be made, although NASA and SpaceX can try again in the coming days.
Wilmore and Williams originally flew to the ISS in Starlineer in June, but the propulsion system failures stopped the spacecraft safely from bringing them home. NASA considered the returns to be very risky, making a spaceX crew planned for their recovery in the dragon capsules.
NASA had already extended the crew -10 mission by two weeks following political pressure from US President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO. The pair accused the former President Joe Biden’s administration of incorrectly connecting the return of astronauts, although they did not give any evidence.
Despite the delay, Wilmore and Williams are safe, assisting research and maintenance on ISS. Williams told reporters that she was eager to join her family and dogs again, “We are just doing what we do every day – it is a lot of fun here.”
Once the crew -10 arrives, Willmore, Williams, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonot Alexandra Gorbunov Crew -9 Capsules can return to Earth, which has been docked in ISS since September.
