SpaceX canceled a ship launch Wednesday that is part of a mission to bring back two astronauts who have been on the International Space Station for nine months after the Boeing spacecraft they arrived in was deemed unsafe over helium leaks and thruster issues.
It is unclear when the mission will be rescheduled for. (Photo by Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images)
Wednesday’s planned launch of SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission, which was scrubbed due to a "hydraulic ground issue,” was supposed to send a four-person crew to the International Space Station using SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which has logged 49 missions and 44 visits to the station, according to SpaceX.
It is unclear when the launch could be rescheduled for.
Crew-10 is slated to conduct space research after it arrives at the station, relieving the stranded astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, from their work.
Crew-9, a two-man crew that launched in September, was designated to take Wilmore and Williams home as early as March 16, though it is unclear how far Wednesday’s scrubbed launch will push back their return.
The Crew-9 ship commandeered by Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov could have brought back Wilmore and Williams after reaching the International Space Station in September, but doing so would have left the facility understaffed, according to The New York Times.
If Wilmore and Williams make the return trip to Earth next week, they will have spent a little over nine months on the International Space Station, much longer than the mere 10 days they were initially supposed to be on the station for last year.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.