NASA SpaceX Crew-10 mission scrubbed: Here's the next launch opportunity

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 is now targeting no earlier than 7:03 p.m. EDT on Friday, March 14, to launch four crew members to the International Space Station. 

Wednesday's planned Crew-10 rocket launch to the ISS was scrubbed due to a hydraulic issue with one of the ground systems, officials said during the live broadcast.

Why was Wednesday's Crew-10 rocket launch scrubbed?

There was a hydraulic issue with one of the clamp arms on the transporter erector (TE), NASA and SpaceX's commentators said during their livestream broadcast.

According to the broadcasters, the clamp arms attach to the second stage of the Falcon 9 booster and help keep the entire rocket vertical on the launch pad. As the countdown gets closer to liftoff, those clamp arms open and pull away from the rocket, the broadcasters explained.

The main issue was that one of those clamp arms was experiencing an issue preventing it from opening fully, an official said. It was apparently a known issue reported earlier in the day.

There were no issues reported or noted with the spacecraft or with the astronauts.

VIDEO: Here's the moment Crew-10 mission was scrubbed

When is the next rocket launch for Crew-10?

With Wednesday's scrub due to hydraulic issues with a system on the ground, there are two backup opportunities on Thursday and Friday, March 13 & 14, 2025.

The next launch opportunity is

• Friday, March 14 at 7:03 p.m.

NASA and SpaceX will still have to review the issue before confirming when they want to proceed with another launch attempt.

Wednesday's instantaneous launch was set for 7:48 p.m. from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The scrub was announced shortly after 7 p.m. 

Meet the Crew-10 astronauts

Anne McClain 

• Commander of the Crew-10 mission
• From Spokane, Washington
• Has been to space one time previously

Nichole Ayers

• Pilot of the Crew-10 mission
• Grew up in Colorado
• First mission to space

Kirill Peskov

• Mission specialist for Crew-10
• Astronaut from the Russian space agency Roscosmos
• First mission to space

Takuya Onishi

• Mission specialist for Crew-10
• Astronaut for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
• Third time in space

Crew-10 Mission: What will the astronauts do on the ISS?

Crew-10 will conduct scientific research to prepare for deep space exploration and benefit life on Earth. They will test spacecraft materials, engage with students via ham radio, test a lunar navigation system, and study how space affects the body. 

NASA said there are some 200 experiments happening at the same time aboard the International Space Station.

When will Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore return to Earth?

NASA's Crew 9 – astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov – are preparing for their eventual return to Earth.

However, the team of four has completed more than 900 hours of research aboard the ISS. 

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are perhaps the two most notable astronauts aboard the ISS due to the amount of time that they've been up there. Both Wilmore and Williams were part of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which flew to the ISS in June 2024. 

Boeing's Starliner experienced a number of issues before and during launch to the ISS, including 

Sonic boom likely in Florida as Falon 9 booster returns

As the Falcon 9's rocket booster returns to Earth, people near Kennedy Space Center may hear a couple "sonic booms," which sound similar to a crack of thunder.

What is a sonic boom? 

Often mistaken for an explosion, a sonic boom is actually described as a "thunder-like noise" that people on the ground hear when a spacecraft, plane, or other aerospace vehicle flies faster than the speed of sound, also known as supersonic speed, according to NASA.