A successive rocket carrying a new crew team to replace two NASA astronauts stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) has finally embarked on its journey.
US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been trapped at the ISS for nine months, facing continuous delays in their return journey.
Mission Crew-10, which was initially set to launch the new crew of four astronauts from Florida on Wednesday, had to be postponed at the last minute due to a problem with the rocket’s ground systems.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pic: NASA
Onboard footage showed the four astronauts who will be replacing Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Pic: NASA
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According to NASA on Thursday, SpaceX, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, resolved the issue — flushing a suspected air pocket from a hydraulic clamp arm — stating the weather was 95% favorable for a launch on Friday.
The crew is expected to arrive at the ISS on Saturday night.
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Stranded astronauts answer questions
Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams, stationed on the ISS since June 2024, were only initially scheduled for an eight-day mission but got stuck after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft encountered problems.
The mission has been intertwined with politics as Donald Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk, suggested without evidence that former President Joe Biden’s administration left the astronauts stranded for political reasons.
NASA stated the astronauts had to remain at the ISS to maintain the station’s minimum staffing requirements.
NASA advanced the Crew-10 mission from 26 March, switching to a SpaceX capsule that would be available sooner, in reaction to demands for an earlier return.
Interventions by Trump and SpaceX’s Musk have added pressure to NASA’s processes, affecting how flight safety is verified.
Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, highlighted the urgency of SpaceX’s operations, leading to necessary changes in safety verification protocols.
NASA also tackled “late-breaking” issues such as a fuel leak on a recent Falcon 9 launch and degradation of coatings on some thrusters of the Dragon crew capsule.
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