Long-time stranded NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's return to Earth has once again got delayed after SpaceX and NASA postponed the launch of a replacement crew to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday (March 12).

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The ISS said that their return was delayed due to an unexpected technical problem. 

William and Butch Wilmore have been stranded in space for nine months now after their trip aboard Boeing's faulty Starliner. 

Also read: Sunita Williams stuck in space: NASA, SpaceX postpone rescue operation

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When are they coming back now? 

NASA'S SpaceX Crew-10 now is targeting no earlier than 7:03 pm EDT on Friday (4.33 am IST on Saturday), according to the NASA website.

Now, the launch coverage will begin at 3 pm on March on NASA+. Further, docking is scheduled for 11:30 pm on Saturday (March 15). 

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Moreover, the launch teams are also working to address 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.

Also read: Sunita Williams to get 'baby feet' after returning to Earth. What does it mean? 

Why did they delay the return?

The mission managers decided to wave off the launch attempt on Thursday due to high winds and precipitation forecast in the flight path of Dragon. 

"Crew-10 is the 10th crew rotation mission of SpaceX’s human space transportation system and its 11th flight with crew aboard, including the Demo-2 test flight, to the space station through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program," the NASA blog read. 

Also read: Trump calls Sunita Williams 'woman with wild hair', hopes she and Butch Wilmore 'love each other'

Earlier, Williams and Butch Wilmore were due to spend only eight days on the ISS but have been stranded there after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that was supposed to bring them back suffered propulsion problems. 

Health concerns have been raised for Williams, as the human body is not built for spaceflight, with its microgravity conditions, exposure to high-energy radiation and other issues. As a result, trekking beyond the Earth's confines causes many physiological changes that affect an astronaut's health. 

Also read: $488 million NASA mission launched to find secrets about the ‘Big Bang’ and study the Sun

(With inputs from agencies)