SpaceX scrubs astronaut flight that was to retrieve stuck astronauts

[highplainsdem]

Last edited Thu Mar 13, 2025, 12:09 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Reuters

SpaceX on Wednesday scrubbed the expected launch of a replacement crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station that would have set in motion the long-awaited homecoming of U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck in space for nine months after a trip on Boeing's faulty Starliner.

NASA had been set to launch a SpaceX rocket from Florida carrying a replacement crew for the International Space Station in a mission that would set up the return to Earth of Wilmore and Williams - stuck in space for nine months after a trip on Boeing's (BA.N), opens new tab faulty Starliner.

The launch was called off due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket, NASA said in a statement.

NASA said the next available launch opportunity is no earlier than 7:26 p.m. EDT (2326 GMT) Thursday, pending review of the issue. With a Thursday Crew-10 launch, the Crew-9 mission would depart the space station on Monday, March 17, it said.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/spacex-nasa-set-astronaut-flight-that-will-retrieve-stuck-astronauts-2025-03-12/

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The original headline and first 4 paragraphs of the story are above.

That was posted at 10:15 Central time. Now, at 11:08 Central time, the headline and story have been revised:

NASA, SpaceX delay flight that was to retrieve stuck astronauts
By Joey Roulette
March 12, 202510:39 PM CDT Updated 20 min ago


NASA and SpaceX on Wednesday delayed the launch of a replacement crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station that would have set in motion the long-awaited homecoming of U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

NASA had been set to launch a SpaceX rocket from Florida carrying a replacement crew for the International Space Station in a mission that would set up the return to Earth of Wilmore and Williams - stuck in space for nine months after a trip on Boeing's (BA.N) faulty Starliner.

The launch was called off due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket, NASA said in a statement.

-snip-

NASA said it is now targeting a launch no earlier than 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 GMT) Friday after mission managers put off a launch attempt on Thursday because of high winds and rain forecast in the flight path of Dragon.

-snip-

[Klarkashton]

1. We can't do any better than use that shit business

Anymore? JFC what the fuck.

[Prairie Gates]

2. They defunded NASA and accomplished procurement capture with this idiotic company

[highplainsdem]

4. Yep. Bad move.

[kacekwl]

3. Damn that

Joe Biden.

[highplainsdem]

6. It was so foolish of Musk to try to blame Biden when everyone knew better.

[SunSeeker]

5. I have a bad feeling about this.

Hope they all comeback in one piece.

[highplainsdem]

7. I hope so, too.

[Safe as Milk]

8. If there are problems, we'll see more high drama:

internal discussions at NASA will focus on SpaceX as a viable partner. And preliminary results will be to either nationalize SpaceX and remove Musk from ownership, or to end at least some of his contracts with the feds.

[highplainsdem]

9. That would happen only if Musk was completely out of favor with Trump. Otherwise, Musk

is likely to have some control of NASA. See this: https://www.disconnect.blog/p/how-elon-musk-plans-to-upend-nasa

[highplainsdem]

10. kick

[highplainsdem]

11. NY Times story from 6 hours ago:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/science/nasa-spacex-astronauts-iss-launch.html

[highplainsdem]

12. From NASA's blog:

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/commercialcrew/2025/03/12/nasa-spacex-target-march-14-crew-launch-to-space-station/

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 now is targeting no earlier than 7:03 p.m. EDT Friday, March 14, to launch four crew members to the International Space Station. Mission managers met this evening and decided to wave off a launch attempt on Thursday, March 13, due to high winds and precipitation forecasted in the flight path of Dragon.

Launch teams also are working to address a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will remain in Astronaut Crew Quarters at NASA Kennedy in Florida.

Launch coverage will begin at 3 p.m. on March 14 on NASA+. Docking is targeted for 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15.

[highplainsdem]

13. From Space.com, article with video of the launch being called off:

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/spacex-scrubs-crew-10-astronaut-launch-for-nasa-due-to-hydraulics-issue-video

The company had planned to send the four-person Crew-10 mission toward the International Space Station (ISS) atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida this evening at 7:48 p.m. EDT (2348 GMT). About 45 minutes before liftoff, however, SpaceX called the attempt off due to a hydraulics issue with the transporter-erector, the structure that hauls the Falcon 9 to the pad and supports it once it's there.

"Great working with you today," Crew-10 commander Anne McClain of NASA told launch controllers after the scrub. "Kudos from the whole team. I know it was a lot of work to try to go, but like I said earlier, we'll be ready when the equipment is."

The problem involved a clamp arm on the transporter-erector, NASA officials said during the agency's launch webcast today. There were no issues with Crew-10's Falcon 9 or its Crew Dragon capsule, named Endurance.

-snip-

[Mustellus]

14. As a professor of Astronautical Engineering...

... in my former (pre - retirement) life, I've educated astronauts. Five of my students flew the shuttle, more to the space station.

This is BULLSHIT. Astronauts WANT to fly. My 10 days jaunt has been extended to six months? Lots of food, water, and air? I'm in no danger, lots of productive work to do on the station.... YES!!!!!!

Elmo Musk wanted to be paid for another launch, and the Murrican press gets their Astronautical Engineering knowledge from Lost in Space.