SpaceX postpones astronaut flight meant to retrieve stranded crew

SpaceX has delayed the launch of a new astronaut crew to the International Space Station (ISS), a mission that would have paved the way for the long-overdue return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, two NASA astronauts stranded in space for nine months due to a Boeing Starliner malfunction, Reuters reported.

The Crew-10 mission was scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 7:48 pm ET (2348 GMT) but was called off due to a last-minute technical issue with the launchpad, SpaceX officials announced during the live broadcast. It is unclear when a new launch attempt will be made, though NASA and SpaceX could try again in the coming days.

Wilmore and Williams originally flew to the ISS in June aboard Starliner, but propulsion system failures prevented the spacecraft from safely bringing them home. NASA deemed the return too risky, leading to the plan for their recovery aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

NASA had already expedited the Crew-10 mission by two weeks following political pressure from US President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX. The pair accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of mishandling the astronauts' return, though they provided no evidence.

Despite the delay, Wilmore and Williams remain safe, assisting with research and maintenance on the ISS. Williams told reporters she was eager to reunite with her family and dogs, adding, "We’re just doing what we do every day—it’s a lot of fun up here."

Once Crew-10 arrives, Wilmore, Williams, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov can return to Earth aboard the Crew-9 capsule, which has been docked at the ISS since September.