SpaceX Launch Scrubbed Due to Clamp Arm Issue, Astronauts Remain Stranded on ISS

Four astronauts, NASA's Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, along with Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, were scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. However, the launch was scrubbed with about 43 minutes left in the countdown due to an issue with one of the clamp arms that holds the rocket in place on the launch pad.

The launch was part of the Crew-10 mission, which would have seen the four astronauts take over for Williams, Wilmore, and two fellow crew members already on the ISS. Williams and Wilmore have been on the ISS for nine months after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft encountered issues during its docking process.

NASA has not yet announced a new launch date and time. There are additional launch opportunities this week, but the decision will depend on whether the hydraulics issue with the clamp arm can be resolved in time.

Once the Crew-10 astronauts arrive at the ISS, they will take over for Williams, Wilmore, and their fellow crew members. Preparations will then be underway for the astronauts to finally return home in a SpaceX Dragon capsule that arrived at the space station in September.

The unusual situation has become a political talking point, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump making unsubstantiated claims that the Biden administration held up the flight back to Earth for political reasons. However, NASA's plan to use a SpaceX vehicle for their return journey has remained the same since it was announced in August.

NASA has not yet announced a date for the outgoing crew's undocking and landing. There is typically a short handover period after new crew members arrive at the space station, during which all the astronauts can exchange information about ongoing science experiments, maintenance projects, and other protocols.