SpaceX was forced to postpone its launch to the International Space Station due to a launch pad issue. The mission was intended to replace NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded in orbit for nine months.

The problem arose just hours before the scheduled launch when concerns over a critical hydraulic system were discovered. The hydraulic system is used to release the rocket from its support structure. Engineers were checking the system when the four astronauts, including Kirill Peskov of Russia’s Roscosmos, Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain from the United States, and Takuya Onishi of Japan’s JAXA, were already strapped in awaiting the final decision.

A fresh launch date has not yet been announced by SpaceX, but it could be as soon as Thursday. The four astronauts, however, were forced to delay their mission to the space station. This is a critical step since the two stranded astronauts need to return after spending so long in orbit.

SpaceX’s rocket was set to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral at 7:48 p.m. ET (2348 GMT). NASA had brought forward the rescue mission by two weeks after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, called for Wilmore and Williams to be brought back earlier than originally planned. This was an unusual intervention in NASA’s human spaceflight operations. NASA has assured the public that the two astronauts are safe and have been conducting research and maintenance with the other astronauts on the space station.

When the new crew arrives aboard the station, Wilmore and Williams can return to Earth in a capsule that has been attached to the station since September.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/spacex-delays-mission-to-return-stranded-astronauts/a-71904957?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf