ISS Mission to Swap Out Starliner Astronauts Pushed to Friday

Wednesday launch attempt was scrubbed due to a hydraulic system issue on the ground, postponing NASA and SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 01:03 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stacked with the company’s Crew Dragon capsule stands on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been on the ISS for over nine months, and their return to Earth has been further delayed.
Their departure from the ISS, expected on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, is linked to the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which was recently scrubbed due to a ground system issue with the Falcon 9 rocket.
The Crew-10 launch is now re-targeted for Friday, which is crucial for the ongoing astronaut rotation and the Starliner crew's eventual return to Earth.
NASA had previously decided that Wilmore and Williams would return via a SpaceX capsule, rather than the Starliner, after deeming a Starliner return too risky.

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Boeing Starliner crewmembers Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will need to wait a little bit longer before returning from their more than nine-month sojourn aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA and SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission—an ISS astronaut rotation operation that is expected to culminate in Wilmore and Williams’ return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule—is now targeted to launch no earlier than Friday at 7:03 p.m. EST, NASA said Wednesday. A launch attempt Wednesday evening, which would have returned the astronauts as early as Sunday, was scrubbed due to a ground issue.