Sunita Williams’ space stay extends as NASA again delays ISS mission meant to bring back stranded astronauts

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SpaceX on Wednesday (Mar 12) called off the launch Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) due to a last-minute technical issue. 

The routine crew rotation at the ISS became unusually significant as it was supposed to pave the way for a pair of astronauts – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams (or Sunita Williams) – to finally come home after being stranded there for more than nine months. 

“NASA and SpaceX have decided to stand down Wednesday, March 12, from the agency’s Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station. NASA will share more about the next launch opportunities when available,” NASA said in a statement. 

Just an hour before their statement, the US-based space agency informed that “NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot, along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, received the “go” for the launch”. They noted that the liftoff was an hour away, but eventually called it off. 

#Crew10 status: NASA and SpaceX are standing down on the March 12 launch attempt.

Watch the mission blog for updates, including a revised launch date and time. https://t.co/PjgAZaWWAo

— NASA (@NASA) March 12, 2025

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were due to spend eight days on the ISS, but have been there for more than eight months after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffered propulsion problems.