After a nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally preparing to return to Earth, thanks to the successful launch of their replacement crew late Friday.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 7:03 PM, carrying the Crew-10 team: NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. The launch marks the beginning of a routine six-month rotation for the ISS.
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Crew-10’s Dragon spacecraft docked with the ISS early Sunday.
This arrival will facilitate the departure of Wilmore and Williams, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who will return to Earth on Wednesday. The extended overlap of crews will allow for essential briefings and a smooth transition.
Wilmore and Williams’ extended stay was initially intended to be a brief 10-day mission beginning in June 2024.
However, mechanical issues with their spacecraft caused significant delays. After weeks of troubleshooting, their spacecraft was sent back to Earth unmanned, and their return was repeatedly postponed due to further technical complications.
The successful launch of Crew-10 now provides a definitive path for their long-awaited return home.
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