Credit: @iss/Instagram & Adobe Stock
NASA Issues Devastating Update On Astronauts After 9 Months Stuck In Space
NASA has issued a devastating update on the two astronauts stranded in space.
NASA’s efforts to bring home two stranded astronauts have encountered yet another hurdle, as the planned SpaceX launch meant to send their replacements was unexpectedly delayed.
The Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center at 7:48 p.m. ET on Wednesday, carrying four astronauts who would take over for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June.
However, the mission was called off at the last moment, dealing another frustrating blow to the months-long effort to bring them back.
Williams and Wilmore initially embarked on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5.
However, technical malfunctions, including thruster failures and helium leaks, prevented their return as scheduled, leaving the pair struggling with their health.
NASA ultimately sent the faulty Starliner back to Earth in September without its crew, leaving the two astronauts in orbit much longer than planned.
The astronauts were already strapped into their seats when the decision to abort the launch was made less than 30 minutes before takeoff.
Both NASA and SpaceX expressed disappointment at the setback, with a new launch attempt now being planned for Thursday evening.
If that attempt also fails, there is an additional opportunity on Friday.
Had the launch proceeded as planned, Williams and Wilmore would have been able to depart the ISS two days later, with an expected return to Earth by Sunday.
The delay follows a claim from Elon Musk, who stated that he had previously offered to bring the astronauts home eight months ago, but his proposal was rejected by the Biden administration.
According to Musk, the administration declined his offer because it could have politically benefited Donald Trump in his race against Kamala Harris.
The SpaceX Crew-10 mission is set to carry four astronauts to the ISS: Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, and Takuya Onishi from Japan’s JAXA space agency.
The postponement means Williams and Wilmore will have to wait at least until Monday for their return journey.
Just minutes before the scheduled launch, SpaceX shared images of the Crew-10 astronauts preparing for the mission, captioning them: “Crew-10 is go for launch!”
However, an issue with a hydraulic clamp arm arose shortly afterward, forcing an immediate halt.
The astronauts were carefully removed from the rocket one at a time and transported in specially designed Teslas to a quarantine facility in Florida, where they will stay until the next launch attempt.
A SpaceX commentator, addressing the incident in a live stream, assured that safety remains the top priority: “We will not launch unless we know we can do so safely and reliably.”
NASA and SpaceX have since been working on contingency plans to ensure a safe return for Williams and Wilmore.
Per Mail Online, NASA official Ken Bowersox acknowledged that ‘there may have been conversations’ in the White House regarding political implications of the mission delay but clarified that he was not part of those discussions.
Once Crew-10 arrives at the ISS, Williams and Wilmore are expected to depart within two days, rather than the usual five-day handover period.
This adjustment has been made to conserve food supplies aboard the station and allow for flexibility in scheduling their undocking, in case of weather-related disruptions.
Bowersox also noted that financial constraints played a role in the mission’s delays, saying that while other options were considered: “We ruled them out pretty quickly just based on how much money we’ve got in our budget.”
Related Article: The Moon Is Drifting Away From Earth And It’s Having A Major Impact On Time
Related Article: Astronaut Who Spent 178 Days In Space Shares The Big ‘Lie’ He Realized After Seeing Earth
Want more stuff like this?
Get the best viral stories straight into your inbox!
