SpaceX’s Crew-10 Mission Marks a Historic Launch to the ISS – On March 14 at 7:03 PM Eastern Time, SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission lifted off successfully from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This significant event in space exploration features an accomplished team of astronauts: NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Kirill Peskov, a cosmonaut from Roscosmos. After an overnight journey, they are scheduled to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) at approximately 11:30 PM Eastern on March 15. Their arrival is particularly crucial as it will enable NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to finally return home after what was intended to be a week-long mission but unexpectedly extended to nine months aboard the ISS.

Navigating Challenges: The Journey of Boeing’s Starliner – Initially, Williams and Wilmore traveled to the ISS aboard the Boeing Starliner, the spacecraft’s inaugural crewed flight aimed at demonstrating its capability to transport astronauts to orbit safely. Unfortunately, during their ascent, the Starliner encountered significant issues, including a helium leak and malfunctioning thrusters. In response to these challenges, NASA and ground engineers worked diligently to troubleshoot the problems; however, a decision was made to return the Starliner home uncrewed. Ultimately, the spacecraft landed back on Earth in September, leaving Williams and Wilmore to continue their mission aboard the ISS.

Strategic Planning for Astronaut Return: Crew-9 and Crew-10 Collaboration – Prior to the Starliner’s return, NASA had already made arrangements for Williams and Wilmore to come back with the SpaceX Crew-9 team. This mission was strategically planned with only two astronauts onboard, thereby reserving two seats for the return journey. Although their return was initially set for February, the launch of Crew-10 faced delays, allowing SpaceX the necessary time to prepare a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission. Now, Williams and Wilmore are anticipated to return to Earth alongside Crew-9‘s Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov as early as March 19, marking a new chapter in their space exploration journey.