Space X is scheduled to launch its Crew-10 mission craft on Friday at 7:03 p.m. to retrieve two astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station for nine months.
The launch will take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and comes after the mission was initially set to take place Wednesday but was canceled at the last minute due to a hydraulic problem with a clamp arm.
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The exact return date of the stranded astronauts is unclear but could be as soon as March 19.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams were supposed to be in space for just over a week. However, a malfunction in the spacecraft during takeoff deemed it too risky for the astronauts to return.
SPACE X LAUNCH: MISSION SET TO RETRIEVE ASTRONAUTS STRANDED ON SPACE STATION
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has alleged that politics played a role in the astronauts being left in space for so long, claiming the Biden administration rejected his offer to bring Wilmore and Williams home earlier than the current timeline.
He said he believes the offer was rejected because the previous administration did not want to give a Trump ally a win ahead of the 2024 election. The Biden administration denied Musk’s claim.