SpaceX Launch of NASA Crew-10 Postponed Due to Launch Tower Hydraulic Failure; Starliner Crew Faces Extended ISS Stay

A SpaceX mission scheduled for Wednesday has been delayed because of a hydraulic malfunction affecting the launch tower at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

This mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, was slated to send a fresh team to the International Space Station (ISS) while bringing back astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams after their prolonged stay.

SpaceX confirmed the delay on Wednesday evening, clarifying that the issue does not involve the Falcon 9 rocket or Crew Dragon spacecraft. The company now aims for a launch on Friday at 7:03 p.m. ET.

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Wilmore and Williams’ ISS mission extended

Since June 2024, Wilmore and Williams have been aboard the ISS following Boeing’s initial manned flight of the Starliner spacecraft. Their mission, initially planned for approximately one week, was extended due to persistent concerns around Starliner’s thruster system.

Rather than returning on Starliner, the pair joined Crew-9 to continue station upkeep and scientific work. NASA has recognized that their extended residency has led to higher onboard resource use, making their eventual return a pressing matter.

Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, explained that detailed analysis revealed significant risks linked to Starliner’s thrusters, which led to the decision against using that spacecraft for their return.

Boeing-Crew-Flight-Test-astronauts-Butch-Wilmore-and-Suni-Williams-pose-for-a-portrait-b2c168630cab8edbc8cef3bcac9bbead.jpeg — This photo shows Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams between the forward port of the ISS’s Harmony module and Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, June 13, 2024.

Launch tower hydraulic problem halts crew swap

The launch delay stems from malfunctioning hydraulic equipment on the launch tower, unrelated to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 or Crew Dragon systems.

This postponement impacts Crew-10, which includes NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

Getting Crew-10 aboard the ISS is crucial for the scheduled return of Crew-9 members, including Wilmore and Williams. SpaceX has indicated that a successful launch on Friday would allow Crew-9’s departure soon after, though an exact timeline remains unannounced.

Crew-10-mission-Roscosmos-cosmonaut-e22abd844a467789828372835d9ae06f.jpeg — Crew-10’s Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, alongside NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, and JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building heading to launch pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, March 12, 2025.

Uncertain future for Starliner’s manned operations

Ongoing challenges with Starliner’s first crewed sortie cast doubts on Boeing’s future involvement in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Despite NASA’s goal of maintaining multiple astronaut transport options, thruster problems have delayed Starliner’s final certification for routine missions.

During a press briefing in September 2024, Wilmore reflected on the mission’s extension:

“Let down? Absolutely not. It’s never entered my mind. It’s a fair question. I can tell you, I thought a lot about this press conference … and what I wanted to say and convey. NASA does a great job of making a lot of things look easy. That’s just the way it goes sometimes because we are pushing the edges of the envelope in everything that we do.”

NASA will offer live broadcasts of the Crew-10 launch attempt through its official platforms, while SpaceX will stream the event on its website and social channels. If successfully launched, Crew-10 will perform experiments supporting the advancement of crewed space exploration beyond Earth’s orbit.