Another Delay: When Will Sunita Williams Return to Earth?

The long-awaited return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to Earth has faced yet another setback. Their homecoming was recently delayed due to a hydraulic system failure with the ground support clamp arm of the Falcon 9 rocket. NASA is working tirelessly to resolve the issue, as launch crews are in high spirits, determined to find a new launch date soon.

In a recent update, the International Space Station announced, “@NASA and @SpaceX have decided to stand down Wednesday, March 12, from the agency’s #Crew10 mission to the International Space Station.”

The Crew-10 mission, which was set to launch from the sunny shores of Florida aboard a SpaceX rocket, was designed to replace the current crew on the ISS and facilitate the long-overdue return of Wilmore and Williams. These intrepid astronauts have been orbiting the Earth for an astonishing nine months after their unexpected adventure aboard Boeing’s faulty Starliner spacecraft.

NASA has now set its sights on a revised launch date of no earlier than 7:03 PM EDT (2303 GMT) on Friday, which means 4:33 AM IST on Saturday. This change comes after Wednesday's attempt was scrubbed due to high winds and rain anticipated along Dragon's flight path.

Originally, the Crew-10 mission was poised to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral at 7:48 PM ET (2348 GMT) on Wednesday, coinciding with 6:18 AM IST on Thursday. The mission featured a diverse crew, including two US astronauts, a Japanese astronaut, and a Russian astronaut.

This isn’t the first time Williams' return has been put on hold. Initially slated for a January 2025 return, her schedule has shifted to March due to these pesky technical issues. The repeated delays have left many space enthusiasts anxiously awaiting the moment Williams can finally set foot back on solid ground.