The mission was called off less than an hour before launch due to a reported hydraulics issue with the launchpad

SpaceX has aborted the launch of its Crew-10 mission, which was intended to relieve two NASA astronauts who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months - far longer than their originally planned eight-day stay.

The mission, originally scheduled to launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 7:48pm local time on March 12, was set to send a replacement crew to the ISS, allowing astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to finally return home. The two have been stuck on the station since June 2024 after their intended return vehicle, Boeing's Starliner, experienced propulsion system issues. NASA deemed the spacecraft unsafe and ultimately disposed of it.

SpaceX called off the flight due to a last-minute technical issue with the rocket's launchpad, officials said during a livestream of the launch countdown. 

"NASA and SpaceX have scrubbed Wednesday's launch attempt of the agency's Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida," NASA said in a statement. 

It was not immediately clear when the next launch attempt would take place, though backup launch windows were available on Thursday and Friday. NASA said that the "next available launch opportunity is no earlier than 7:26pm EDT Thursday... pending review of the issue."

Shortly after taking office in January, US President Donald Trump urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to bring Wilmore and Williams home, while criticizing former President Joe Biden for the situation. NASA officials, however, stated that the decision to extend the astronauts' stay was based on operational considerations and was not politically motivated.

Despite the extended mission, Wilmore and Williams have continued their work aboard the ISS, contributing to research and maintenance activities. Williams, speaking last week, described the situation as a "roller coaster" for their families, "probably a little more so than for us."

The replacement international crew aboard the Crew-10 mission includes American astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.