The astronauts aboard the Boeing Starliner await a slight delay in their return journey. The Crew-10 mission, scheduled to depart for the International Space Station from Florida on Wednesday night, was postponed due to an issue with the launchpad’s ground system. NASA and SpaceX, the operators of Crew-10, decided to scrub the launch just before lift-off. This delay has impacted the return plans for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
Originally, Crew-9 was planned to depart with two astronauts, leaving seats for Wilmore and Williams to return home. However, the current Crew-9 team, which now includes Wilmore and Williams, cannot leave until their replacements arrive. The rescheduled launch for Crew-10 is now set for Friday night, allowing the mission to proceed once the technical issues are resolved.
The launch delay has also affected the timeline for the Starliner astronauts’ return. With the new launch date, the Crew-10 team may reach the space station on Saturday night, postponing the return of Wilmore and Williams. Once the Crew-10 members arrive, they will spend time adjusting to their new environment before the return journey can take place.
The transition period between astronaut groups is a crucial step at the orbiting laboratory as one group replaces another at the new home. After spending over nine months at the space station, Starliner astronauts Wilmore and Williams are set to depart with Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov for a splashdown landing off the Florida coast next Wednesday. The upcoming SpaceX Crew-10 launch is now scheduled for no earlier than 7:03 p.m. EDT on Friday, March 14, with NASA providing live coverage on its streaming service, NASA+. The Dragon spacecraft carrying the Crew-10 team is expected to dock at the space station around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, with NASA streaming the event. For further updates, contact Eric Lagatta at elagatta@gannett.com.
