SpaceX Crew-10 Mission Launched Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore To Return To Earth

NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-10 mission on Friday, aimed at bringing back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:03 pm ET (4:33 am IST) from Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to replace the stranded duo.

The launch proceeded flawlessly, with mission control staff applauding as the rocket cleared all flight checkpoints. An earlier attempt on Thursday was postponed due to high winds and precipitation in the flight path. The Crew-10 spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS after a 28-hour journey, arriving on Saturday.

Williams and Wilmore launched to the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner for an intended eight-day mission. Technical issues, including the failure of five thrusters, extended their stay, raising health concerns after images showed Williams’ significant weight loss. NASA opted to return the Starliner uncrewed, scheduling their return via SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission.

The Falcon 9 carries Commander Anne McClain and Pilot Nichole Ayers from NASA, Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA, and Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos. They will replace Williams, Wilmore, and the Crew-9 team currently aboard the ISS. The astronauts expressed gratitude to ground staff and families as they entered orbit.

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US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claimed the astronauts’ delay was politically motivated by the Biden administration. “They were left up there for political reasons,” Musk told Fox News last month. Wilmore refuted this, stating, “Politics did not play any role in our extended stay,” and expressed respect for both Trump and Musk.

Musk recently posted on X, suggesting the ISS be deorbited soon, saying, “It has served its purpose.” Williams countered this view, stating, “We’re actually in our prime right now,” highlighting the station’s ongoing value. The mission marks SpaceX’s 10th crew rotation under NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme.

Williams and Wilmore are expected to depart the ISS no earlier than March 19, pending weather conditions for their splashdown off Florida. The Crew-10 team will conduct a handover before their return, concluding a challenging chapter for the astronauts. Further updates on their homecoming are awaited as the mission progresses.