On Saturday, NASA and SpaceX successfully launched a crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to bring back NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded in space since June 2024.
The astronauts’ return follows months of delays caused by technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
The Dragon spacecraft, carrying Crew-10, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:03 PM ET on Friday (4:33 AM IST on Saturday).
The spacecraft was propelled by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking the 14th human spaceflight mission for the Dragon capsule.
NASA shared the exciting news on social media, writing, “Have a great time in space, y’all! #Crew10 lifted off from NASA Kennedy at 7:03PM ET (2303 UTC) on Friday, March 14.”
SpaceX further tweeted, “Falcon 9 launches Crew-10, Dragon’s 14th human spaceflight mission to the Space Station.”
Crew-10’s Mission And Spacecraft Journey
The Crew-10 mission includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
The spacecraft is currently en route to the ISS, where it will autonomously dock in approximately 28.5 hours.
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Once Crew-10 arrives at the space station, the mission will facilitate the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9.
The returning crew includes astronauts Williams and Wilmore, along with Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Crew-9’s return to Earth was delayed for several months due to issues with their original transportation, but it is now set to occur soon after Crew-10 arrives.
NASA Launch Delay And New Timeline
Originally scheduled for March 13, the launch was delayed less than an hour before liftoff due to a hydraulic system malfunction with the ground support clamp arm on the Falcon 9 rocket.
This delay pushed the launch to March 14, but the mission proceeded smoothly following the successful launch.
Williams and Wilmore have remained in space since last June, when technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule delayed their return. The capsule was originally scheduled to bring them back to Earth.
After a request from former US President Donald Trump to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, their return, initially planned for the end of March, was expedited.
As the spacecraft continues its journey to the ISS, the space community eagerly awaits the return of these astronauts. Further, marking the successful conclusion of their extended space mission.
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