SpaceX postpones ISS astronaut rescue mission at last minute

The flight was carried out on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center (Florida, USA). The four astronauts were already wearing their seat belts. However, the decision to postpone the launch was made just an hour before the scheduled departure time.

The astronaut group in the mission named Crew-10 includes: expert Kirill Peskov (Russia), pilot Nichole Ayers and commander Anne McClain (USA), along with expert Takuya Onishi (Japan).

SpaceX has not announced a new launch schedule, but will likely try again on Thursday (March 14).

NASA has accelerated the rescue mission by two weeks after pressure from US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who called for Wilmore and Williams to be returned earlier than NASA had originally planned.

The two astronauts had previously stayed on the ISS longer than planned because Boeing's Starliner spacecraft had taken them there, but was unable to return them to Earth due to technical problems. Trump and Musk have accused the Biden administration of delaying the return of Wilmore and Williams.

NASA confirmed that the two astronauts are safe and continue to participate in research and maintenance of the ISS with their colleagues. Astronaut Williams shared: "We are still performing our missions every day, working in space is still very exciting." This astronaut also expressed his desire to soon reunite with his family and pets when he returns.

Cao Phong (according to SpaceX, NASA, DW)