An international crew of astronauts is preparing to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on a mission that will relieve NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, allowing them to return home after a longer-than-expected stay. The Crew-10 mission, part of a standard ISS personnel rotation, is jointly executed by NASA and SpaceX, with plans for liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT).
A SpaceX Dragon capsule, elevated by a Falcon 9 rocket, will transport four astronauts: Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain from NASA, Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. Assuming a smooth launch, they are projected to dock with the ISS around 9pm on Thursday (AEDT).
Once they arrive at the space station, Ayers, McClain, Onishi, and Peskov will engage in a few days of acclimatisation and handover activities with the outgoing Crew-9 team, which includes Williams, Wilmore, NASA’s Nick Hague, and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov. Following this transition, Crew-9 is set to return to Earth, with a planned undocking on Sunday, contingent on Crew-10’s launch occurring as scheduled.
Williams and Wilmore have been aboard the ISS since June for the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule, initially intended to last only a week. However, issues such as helium leaks and propulsion difficulties led NASA to delay their return, citing safety concerns about the Starliner.
Crew-9 and Crew-10 represent routine operations to maintain crew levels on the ISS, yet they have attracted public attention due to a controversial narrative involving claims made by US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk regarding the former Biden administration. Despite NASA’s announcement in August about the astronauts’ planned return, Musk has alleged that a previous offer for an earlier mission was declined for political reasons, although he has not clarified the details of this claim.
The decision to keep Williams and Wilmore aboard, rather than risk an emergency mission, was part of NASA’s strategy to ensure the ISS remained staffed by experienced personnel, with both astronauts trained for such contingencies. NASA aims to maintain a minimum of four crew members from the US and its international partners on the space station at all times.
Throughout their extended time in orbit, both Williams and Wilmore have expressed their enjoyment of the experience. “This is my happy place,” Williams remarked in September, highlighting the unique and enjoyable nature of working in space, where tasks can be executed in various orientations.