13.03.2025 08:41
The launch of a four-person crew that will replace two astronauts who have been stranded on NASA's International Space Station for more than nine months has been postponed due to a technical issue.
The return of the astronauts who went to space for eight days under the Cape Canaveral, USA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) but have been stranded for more than nine months has been postponed again.
POSTPONED AGAIN
A technical issue occurred on the launch pad of the SpaceX rocket that is set to launch a crew to replace NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are stranded on the International Space Station (ISS). Following the issue, SpaceX announced that the launch planned to take place from NASA's Kennedy Space Center has been postponed.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Williams and Wilmore were sent to the ISS for a week-long test flight on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing's new Starliner capsule. However, due to a technical malfunction in the Starliner, the return date for the two astronauts was postponed, and NASA had instructed that the capsule should return empty. It is estimated that the return of the two astronauts, following the postponement of the launch date of SpaceX's backup capsule taking over the mission, will not be possible until the end of March or early April, and their stay at the space station is expected to last approximately 10 months.