NASA Delays Mission to Retrieve Sunita Williams from Space

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): NASA has announced the postponement of the NASA-SpaceX Crew-10 mission, delaying the return of two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, from the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, which was scheduled to launch on March 12, 2025, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, was intended to send a new crew to the ISS and bring Williams and Wilmore back. However, just four hours before the launch, engineers discovered a malfunction in a critical hydraulic system of the rocket, forcing a delay.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, was fully prepared to bring the astronauts back, but technicians identified the issue with the ground hydraulic system—vital for releasing one of the arms that secures the rocket on the launch pad. NASA’s launch commentator, Darol Nail, clarified that the rocket and spacecraft were in perfect condition, but the issue lay with the ground side hydraulic system. As a result, the decision was made to postpone the mission with less than an hour remaining in the countdown.

Though a new launch date has not yet been set, SpaceX hinted that the next attempt could take place as soon as Thursday night. Once Crew-10 arrives at the ISS, Williams and Wilmore will finally return, marking the end of their extended stay in space. They initially arrived at the ISS in June 2024, but due to delays with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, their return was postponed. NASA had planned to bring back Williams and Wilmore via SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, after the Starliner was decided to be sent back without passengers.

The Crew-10 mission, led by NASA's Anne McClain, will also include pilot Nicole Ayers, Japan’s JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov from Russia’s Roscosmos. Ayers and Peskov will be traveling to space for the first time, while McClain and Onishi are on their second missions. Once Crew-10 reaches the ISS, both the current and incoming crews will stay together for a few days before Williams and Wilmore return to Earth alongside NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov.

However, bad weather off the coast of Florida could further delay their return. The astronauts were initially scheduled to return on March 16, 2025, but the delay has now made that date uncertain. Williams and Wilmore have expressed their readiness for an extended stay and are continuing their scientific work on the ISS. Despite this, the repeated delays have added complications to their return plans.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had earlier claimed that his company could have brought the astronauts back last year, but this was reportedly blocked by the Biden administration. Wilmore acknowledged the claim, though he said he was not fully aware of the details. NASA has yet to provide an official response to these allegations.