NASA Scrubs Crew-10 Launch Amid Astronaut Rescue Drama

SpaceX launch delayed due to a hydraulic issue, as Trump slams Biden for ‘abandoning’ astronauts on ISS

Florida [US], March 13: NASA and SpaceX were forced to scrub the Crew-10 mission launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday due to a hydraulic system issue with a Falcon 9 rocket clamp arm at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

The mission, aimed at rotating the ISS crew and bringing back stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, has now been rescheduled for no earlier than March 14 at 7:26 PM EDT. The revised plan is pending further technical review.

NASA confirmed the delay in a statement, adding that launch coverage will begin at 3:25 PM (local time) on NASA+, with docking expected by March 15 at 11:30 PM EDT.

Crew-10 Mission & The ‘Abandoned Astronauts’ Controversy

The SpaceX Crew-10 mission, carrying four astronauts, was initially set to depart for a six-month ISS stay while also bringing back NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded in space for nine months—far beyond their planned one-week mission.

The unexpected delay of their return has sparked intense political debate, with US President Donald Trump directly accusing former President Joe Biden of leaving them behind.

“We love you, and we’re coming up to get you,” Trump said during an Oval Office briefing. “The most incompetent President in our history has allowed this to happen, but this President won’t let that happen.”

Trump claimed he had personally authorized SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to rescue the astronauts, adding:

“I said to Elon, ‘Are you equipped to get them?’ He said, ‘Yeah, we’ve got Starship, and they’re preparing it right now.’”

The two astronauts, who traveled to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, were meant to return within days, but technical failures with Starliner—including helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters—forced it to return to Earth unmanned in September, leaving them stranded.

Trump even commented on Sunita Williams’ famous zero-gravity hair, joking:

“And I see the woman with the wild hair… No games with her hair. But, you know, there’s a danger up there too. You’ve got to get them out.”

NASA & SpaceX’s Next Steps

The Crew-10 mission is the 10th astronaut rotation under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and SpaceX’s 11th human spaceflight mission, including the Demo-2 test flight.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also released a video message of support for the mission, saying:

“We are praying for you. We wish you Godspeed and look forward to welcoming you home soon.”

NASA confirmed that if Crew-10 launches as planned on March 14, Crew-9—including astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—would depart the ISS by March 17.

While NASA and SpaceX work through technical hurdles, the political storm surrounding the “abandoned” astronauts continues to escalate, with Trump promising to greet them personally upon their return.