The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SpaceX on Wednesday (Mar 12) called off the launch Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) due to a last-minute technical issue.
The routine crew rotation at the ISS became unusually significant as it was supposed to pave the way for a pair of astronauts – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams (or Sunita Williams) – to finally come home after being stranded there for more than nine months.
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“NASA and SpaceX have decided to stand down Wednesday, March 12, from the agency’s Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station. NASA will share more about the next launch opportunities when available,” NASA said in a statement.
Just an hour before their statement, the US-based space agency informed that “NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot, along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, received the “go” for the launch”. They noted that the liftoff was an hour away, but eventually called it off.
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#Crew10 status: NASA and SpaceX are standing down on the March 12 launch attempt.
Watch the mission blog for updates, including a revised launch date and time. https://t.co/PjgAZaWWAo
— NASA (@NASA) March 12, 2025
What exactly happened?
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were due to spend eight days on the ISS, but have been there for more than eight months after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffered propulsion problems.
“There was an issue with the hydraulic system on the ground side,” NASA launch commentator Derrol Nail said. He further added that “everything was fine with the rocket and the spacecraft itself.”
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The four-member team strapped in, but with around 45 minutes left on the countdown clock, the launch was scrubbed because of a technical issue.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration space advisory, the next launch opportunity is on Thursday, with a backup on Friday.
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Health concerns have been raised as the human body was not built for spaceflight, with its microgravity conditions, exposure to high-energy radiation and other issues. As a result, trekking beyond the Earth’s confines causes many physiological changes that affect an astronaut’s health.
(WIith inputs from agencies)