Falcon 9 launch: SpaceX Cancels Launch of Backup Crew, Postponing Return of Astronauts Wilmore and Williams

Falcon 9 launch: – Kennedy Space Center, Florida: SpaceX canceled Wednesday the planned launch of its Crew-10 mission, which would send a replacement crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and enable the long-delayed homecoming of U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. The astronauts have been stranded for nine months after their flight on Boeing’s beleaguered Starliner capsule.

NASA blamed a ground system problem for the last-minute postponement. The next launch opportunity is scheduled no earlier than 7:26 p.m. EDT (2326 GMT) on Thursday, subject to further examination of the problem. In the event of success, this would allow the Crew-9 mission—now on board the ISS—to come back to Earth on Monday, March 17.

Political and Technical Delays

Initially, Wilmore and Williams were to come back home last year following a brief mission on Starliner, but problems with the propulsion system made NASA consider the spacecraft not safe enough for them to fly back. Starliner, which Boeing constructed under a $4.5 billion NASA contract, has experienced recurring technical setbacks and cost increases since its inception in 2019. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, meanwhile, constructed under a comparable NASA contract worth at least $4 billion, has been the lone certified spacecraft of NASA for crew transport to and from the ISS since 2020.

The tardy return of Wilmore and Williams has become the subject of political controversy. Former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had pushed NASA to hasten their return, contending—without offering proof—that President Joe Biden’s administration botched the mission’s timing. NASA responded by hastening the launch schedule of Crew-10 by two weeks and replacing a postponed SpaceX capsule with one that would be available earlier.

Mission and Astronauts’ Outlook

The Crew-10 mission was set to launch earlier from Kennedy Space Center at 7:48 p.m. ET (2348 GMT) with four crew members: two American astronauts, one Japanese astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut. Upon arrival at the ISS, Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts—NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—will depart on a SpaceX capsule that has been berthed on the station since September as part of the Crew-9 mission.

Wilmore and Williams have been safe and busy onboard the ISS, supporting research and maintenance work in addition to the station’s existing crew. In an interview with journalists on March 4, Williams was keen to be back with her family and animals, saying, “It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us.”. We’re here, we have a mission—we’re just doing what we do every day, and every day is interesting because we’re up in space and it’s a lot of fun.

Boeing’s Ongoing Struggles

Boeing’s Starliner, intended to rival SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, has experienced a string of engineering setbacks. The mission last year was to serve as its inaugural crewed test flight prior to certification for routine NASA missions. Yet recurring propulsion system failures kept Wilmore and Williams from being able to use it safely for their return journey. This has served to intensify doubts regarding Starliner’s reliability and solidified SpaceX’s dominance over U.S. crewed spaceflight further.

NASA and SpaceX officials are making efforts to iron out the technical problem that delayed the Crew-10 launch. If everything happens according to schedule, Wilmore and Williams will finally return home after an unplanned nine-month orbit stay, ending what became one of the longest and politically contentious astronaut missions in recent spaceflight history.