NASA Astronauts' Return to Earth Delayed Again
Technology
Elon Musk’s SpaceX was forced to halt the launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) less than an hour before takeoff. According to company representatives, the flight, scheduled for the night of March 12, was canceled due to an issue with the hydraulic system.
The Crew Dragon crew included Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nicole Aunapu Mann, as well as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi. This mission was intended to replace the previous crew on the ISS and was to be the tenth rotational flight under the Crew program.
Docking with the Harmony module of the American segment of the ISS was scheduled for 1:00 PM Moscow time on March 13. By the time the launch was canceled, the crew was already aboard the spacecraft.
As part of the Crew-10 mission, NASA and SpaceX had also planned to return NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to Earth. They have been on the ISS for nine months. The Crew-9 team – NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Sunita Williams, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov – is expected to return to Earth on March 19.
Wilmore and Williams were launched to the ISS on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and were initially supposed to stay there for only eight days. However, their return was delayed due to an issue with the maneuvering thrusters and a helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module.
SpaceX is now working to resolve the hydraulic system issue. If all technical matters are addressed, the Crew Dragon launch may take place on March 14. If successful, the new crew will arrive at the ISS to conduct scientific experiments and technical work, while the outgoing crew will prepare for their long-awaited return to Earth.
Docking with the Harmony module of the American segment of the ISS was scheduled for 1:00 PM Moscow time on March 13. By the time the launch was canceled, the crew was already aboard the spacecraft.
As part of the Crew-10 mission, NASA and SpaceX had also planned to return NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to Earth. They have been on the ISS for nine months. The Crew-9 team – NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Sunita Williams, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov – is expected to return to Earth on March 19.
Wilmore and Williams were launched to the ISS on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and were initially supposed to stay there for only eight days. However, their return was delayed due to an issue with the maneuvering thrusters and a helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module.
SpaceX is now working to resolve the hydraulic system issue. If all technical matters are addressed, the Crew Dragon launch may take place on March 14. If successful, the new crew will arrive at the ISS to conduct scientific experiments and technical work, while the outgoing crew will prepare for their long-awaited return to Earth.
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