A hydraulics challenge pressured SpaceX to name off the scheduled launch of its Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on March 12, simply 45 minutes earlier than liftoff. The mission, carrying 4 astronauts, was set to depart aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:48 p.m. EDT (2348 GMT). The drawback was traced to a malfunction within the transporter-erector, the construction liable for transferring and supporting the rocket on the launchpad. NASA astronaut Anne McClain, the mission commander, addressed the scenario, stating that the crew can be prepared as soon as the difficulty was resolved. No faults have been reported with the Falcon 9 rocket or the Crew Dragon capsule, named Endurance.
Technical Fault Identified in Transporter-Erector
As reported, in response to NASA, the detected challenge concerned a clamp arm on the transporter-erector, which performs a vital function in securing the rocket earlier than liftoff. Mike Ravenscroft, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program launch automobile workplace supervisor, defined that the priority was associated to how the Falcon 9 is held in place on the time of launch. SpaceX and NASA engineers performed assessments earlier than deciding to postpone the mission.
New Launch Attempt Scheduled for March 14
Following the delay, NASA confirmed that one other try to launch Crew-10 is deliberate for March 14 at 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 GMT). The four-member crew consists of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. The mission goals to move the crew to the ISS for a six-month keep, changing the Crew-9 crew, which incorporates astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, and Barry Wilmore, together with cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The Crew-9 crew is predicted to return to Earth shortly after Crew-10 arrives.
