Thu Mar 13 05:50:25 UTC 2025: ## SpaceX Launch Delay Leaves NASA Astronauts Awaiting Return to Earth
**CAPE CANAVERAL, FL** – NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will face a further delay in their return to Earth after a last-minute technical problem forced the postponement of a SpaceX mission to replace them aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The launch, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was scrubbed due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm on the Falcon 9 rocket at the Kennedy Space Center.
Wilmore and Williams, whose ten-day mission extended unexpectedly due to propulsion problems with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft, have been aboard the ISS since June. Their return is contingent on the arrival of a replacement crew: NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov (Crew-10). This replacement crew’s launch, originally slated for Wednesday, is now rescheduled for Friday.
NASA confirmed that they are working to resolve the hydraulic issue and are optimistic about Friday’s launch attempt. If successful, Wilmore and Williams could depart the ISS by March 19th, returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft already docked at the station.
In a recent interview, Williams expressed her eagerness to reunite with her family, acknowledging the extended stay’s impact on them. The astronauts, however, have maintained a positive outlook, describing their daily work aboard the ISS as “interesting” and “a lot of fun.”
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