Sunita Williams, Butch Willmore's return delayed as rocket faces glitch

According to an Associated Press report, the new crew consisting of four astronauts from the US, Japan, and Russia, will have to get to the ISS first before Williams and Willmore can head home

Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore’s return to Earth has been postponed again. On Wednesday, a problem was detected at SpaceX’s launch pad, causing a delay in their flight to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch has been now delayed till Friday (March 14 IST).

 

According to an Associated Press report, the new crew consisting of four astronauts from the US, Japan, and Russia, will have to get to the ISS first before Williams and Willmore could head home after being stuck for nine months in orbit.

 

What’s SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission? 

The Crew-10 mission was set to facilitate the return of Williams and Willmore, however, an issue with a crucial hydraulic system emerged just under four hours before the Falcon rocket was scheduled to launch from the Kennedy Space Center. An assessment was conducted by the engineers of the hydraulics responsible for releasing one of the two arms securing the rocket to its support structure. This structure must tilt back just before liftoff, as per reports.

 

 

The mission was aimed to transport four astronauts to the ISS for a six-month mission, focusing on scientific research, space exploration experiments, and technology demonstrations. Crew-10 would have replaced Crew-9 astronauts, who have been stranded since June 2024.

 

Why are the astronauts stranded?

The two astronauts were stranded after a Boeing Starliner faced several challenges in returning the crew to the Earth. The Starliner was responsible for taking the two to International Space Station and after successfully docking on June 6, the mission faced issues that included four helium leaks and failures in five of its 28 manoeuvring thrusters.

 

The Starliner then returned to the Earth without the crew. Both Williams and Willmore were expected to return to the Earth in a span of eight days, however, their stay has now extended to nine months.

 

What did Williams and Willmore say?

According to a Reuters report, on March 4, Williams and Willmore spoke with the reporter. Expressing her eagerness to return home to reunite with her family, Williams said, “It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us,” further adding, “We’re here, we have a mission – we’re just doing what we do every day, and every day is interesting because we’re up in space and it’s a lot of fun.”

 

What’s Trump take on this?

On March 7, President Donald Trump commented on the ongoing delay in bringing the two astronauts back to the Earth. Criticising the Biden administration for ignoring the two astronauts, Trump mentioned his plan to bring them back. In an interview with Fox News, he sent a message for Williams and Willmore and said, "We love you, and we’re coming up to get you, and you shouldn’t have been up there so long.”