New Delhi, March 13 -- The launch of the NASA-SpaceX Crew-10 mission, meant to pave the way for the return of pair of Starliner astronauts on the International Space Station, was postponed Wednesday, the US space agency said.

Crew-10 is meant to replace Crew-9, which Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams is part of. NASA said earlier that Crew-9 can return from the International Space Station (ISS) only after Crew-10 launches to space.

Therefore, the successful launch of Crew-10 would have set in motion the long-awaited homecoming of US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck in space for nine months after a trip on Boeing's faulty Starliner.

NASA launch commentator Derrol Nail said, "There was an issue with...