NASA-SpaceX postpone crew-10 mission, delaying Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore's return
Florida: NASA and SpaceX have postponed the launch of the Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), delaying the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. The mission, initially scheduled for Wednesday, was put on hold due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A, NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
The next launch opportunity is no earlier than Thursday at 7:26 pm EDT. If the mission proceeds as planned, the Crew-9 astronauts—including NASA's Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—will depart the ISS no earlier than March 17, depending on weather conditions at splashdown locations off Florida's coast.
Williams and Wilmore have been on the ISS since June last year. They were originally meant to stay for about a week, but technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which transported them, led to an extended mission. The Starliner returned to Earth unmanned in September after experiencing helium leaks and reaction control thruster issues while docking.
Former US President Donald Trump recently urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to expedite the astronauts’ return, accusing President Joe Biden of neglecting them. On March 7, Trump claimed he had authorised Musk to bring them back sooner than NASA had planned.
NASA stated that Crew-10 is the 10th crew rotation mission under SpaceX’s human space transportation system and the 11th crewed flight under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
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Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa laid to rest with full state honours
Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa was laid to rest with full state honours on Monday.
The 94-year-old former minister, who passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday, was cremated at the Kalleshwara Mill premises, following Veerashaiva-Lingayat traditions.
Earlier in the day, Shivashankarappa's mortal remains were brought to his native Davanagere, where they were kept at the high school grounds for the public, his followers, and well-wishers to pay their last respects.
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Expressing deep sorrow over his demise, the Karnataka government ordered that his last rites be performed with full state honours.
Both the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Council also mourned his passing, adjourning their sessions for the day after paying tributes.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, several ministers, opposition leaders, legislators, and political figures paid their respects.
A number of seers from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community also attended the last rites.
Shivashankarappa represented the Davanagere South Assembly constituency. He had been undergoing treatment at the hospital for some time before succumbing to age-related ailments.
The senior-most legislator in Karnataka, Shivashankarappa, was also one of the longest-serving lawmakers in the country, sources said.
He is survived by three sons, including S S Mallikarjun, the Karnataka Minister for Mines, Geology, and Horticulture, and four daughters. His daughter-in-law, Prabha Mallikarjun, is the Member of Parliament from Davanagere.
A six-time MLA, Shivashankarappa also served as a minister and an MP.
He was a prominent educationist, establishing several educational institutions, and was an industrialist.
Additionally, he served as the treasurer of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) for decades and was the president of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the influential Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.
