NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, is now set to launch on Friday, March 14, at 7:03 PM ET, sending four astronauts to the International Space Station. The mission aims to bring back NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore from the International Space Station.
Why was Crew-10 Mission delayed?
NASA revealed on their X platform that the launch was delayed from Thursday, March 13, due to bad weather, with high winds and rain expected along the flight path.
Additionally, launch teams are working on fixing a hydraulic issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A. The team is making sure everything is ready for a safe and successful mission.
NASA was ready to launch a SpaceX rocket from Florida to send a new crew to the International Space Station on Thursday. The mission would also help bring back astronauts Wilmore and Williams, who have been stuck in space for nine months after a problem with Boeing’s Starliner.
NASA moved up the mission by two weeks after US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggested bringing Wilmore and Williams back earlier than planned.
Wilmore and Williams, both experienced astronauts and Navy pilots, were supposed to stay in space for eight days but have stayed much longer. The Starliner returned to Earth without them last year.
They have been working on research and repairs with the other astronauts on the station and are safe. Williams said in a March 4 call that she’s excited to see her family and pet dogs when she returns home.