KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – A launch pad problem prompted SpaceX to delay a flight to the International Space Station on Wednesday to replace NASA’s two stuck astronauts.
The launch was set for 7:48 p.m. from Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A but was called off shortly after 7 p.m.
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Concerns over a critical hydraulic system happened about four hours before the Falcon rocket’s planned evening liftoff.
As the countdown clocks ticked down, engineers evaluated the hydraulics used to release one of the two arms clamping the rocket to its support structure. This structure needs to tilt back right before liftoff.
Standing down from tonight's launch opportunity of @NASA's Crew-10 mission to the @Space_Station
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 12, 2025
#Crew10 status: NASA and SpaceX are standing down on the March 12 launch attempt.
— NASA (@NASA) March 12, 2025
Watch the mission blog for updates, including a revised launch date and time. https://t.co/PjgAZaWWAo
NASA said it is now aiming for no earlier than 7:03 p.m. on Friday.
When it launches and after Crew-10 arrives to the International Space Station, they will spend about a week together with Crew-9’s NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov as well as NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stuck at the space station since June.
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Crew-9 had originally been a crew of four space travelers but was cut to two so that there would be room for Wilmore and Williams, who have been stranded at the space station after issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule. The Starliner had so many problems getting to the space station that NASA ruled it too dangerous to carry anyone and it flew back empty.
Crew-10 will conduct different experiments aboard the space station, including “material flammability tests for future spacecraft designs,” according to NASA.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
