March 13, 2025, 12:14 AM PDT – The anticipated SpaceX Crew-10 launch, set to lift off from Cape Canaveral on March 12 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, was scrubbed due to a hydraulic malfunction in ground support equipment at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The mission, a collaboration between NASA and SpaceX, aims to deliver four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and retrieve two others, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard since June 2024.
The Crew-10 team includes NASA commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos’ Kirill Peskov. They were prepared to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Endurance from Launch Complex 39A when the issue emerged, as reported by The New York Times. NASA identified the problem as a hydraulic fault in a clamp arm on the transporter-erector, prompting a delay to Friday, March 14, at 7:03 p.m. EDT, per Reuters.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the ISS on Boeing’s Starliner for a test mission intended to last eight days. Technical difficulties with Starliner, including helium leaks and thruster problems, led NASA to extend their stay and plan their return via SpaceX’s Crew-9 spacecraft, scheduled to depart after Crew-10’s arrival, according to CBS News. The Crew-10 mission, once launched, will see the astronauts dock with the ISS’s Harmony module around 14 hours after liftoff, initiating a six-month stint of experiments and station upkeep.
Despite ideal weather conditions at Cape Canaveral, with over 95% favorable odds as forecasted by the 45th Weather Squadron, the equipment issue forced the cancellation, detailed by Fox News. NASA and SpaceX are addressing the hydraulic concern, with the next attempt to be broadcast live on NASA+ and SpaceX platforms, as confirmed by NASA’s mission blog. The safe return of Williams and Wilmore hinges on this rescheduled flight.
Updates on the launch status and its implications for the ISS crew rotation will follow as preparations continue.
