SpaceX Crew-10 Launch Delayed, NASA Astronauts Await Return After Extended ISS Stay

A hydraulic issue postponed the launch intended to replace ISS crew and bring home NASA astronauts stranded due to Boeing Starliner malfunctions.

SpaceX's Crew-10 mission, intended to transport a new ISS crew, was delayed due to a hydraulic issue with the Falcon 9 rocket's transporter erector apparatus.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been on the ISS for nine months following malfunctions on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was deemed unsafe for their return.
Crew-10 includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA's Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos' Kirill Peskov, who will stay on the ISS for approximately six months after the crew swap.
The delayed launch has pushed back the return of Wilmore and Williams, along with two Crew-9 astronauts, now tentatively scheduled for March 16, 2025, aboard the Crew Dragon capsule.
The extended stay of Wilmore and Williams has drawn political attention, with conflicting claims about earlier rescue proposals involving SpaceX and the previous U.S. administration.