Delays for stranded NASA astronauts after SpaceX delays flight

SpaceX has postponed its mission to the International Space Station, originally scheduled for Wednesday, due to issues with the launchpad. This mission aims to replace two NASA astronauts currently stranded on the station.

The new astronaut team needs to arrive at the International Space Station before Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams return to Earth after a nine-month stay in orbit. These two test pilots had to extend their stay on the station after Boeing's Starliner spacecraft encountered significant malfunctions during its transport.

Less than four hours before the Falcon rocket was scheduled to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a problem surfaced with a critical hydraulic system. Engineers assessed the hydraulic system used to release one of the two arms securing the rocket to the support structure, which needed to tilt backward before launch.

The four astronauts were already strapped into the spacecraft awaiting the final decision, but with less than an hour left in the countdown, SpaceX announced the cancellation of the launch for the day. Officials subsequently stated that the launch would be postponed until at least Friday.

Upon arrival at the space station, the astronauts from the United States, Japan, and Russia will replace Wilmore and Williams, who have been on the station since June. The Starliner's initial crewed flight was originally planned to last a week, but NASA ordered the spacecraft to return empty and transferred Wilmore and Williams' return mission to SpaceX.