A crew of international astronauts is gearing up for a significant journey to the International Space Station (ISS), taking over from NASA’s esteemed Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. This mission marks a pivotal moment that blends science and exploration with political undertones, as the previous crew’s unexpected delays turned what should have been a routine operation into a charged saga. The Crew-10 flight, a part of normal ISS staff rotations, is being jointly coordinated by NASA and SpaceX, scheduled to launch on Wednesday at 7:48 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission’s spacecraft is a SpaceX Dragon capsule strapped atop one of the company’s reliable Falcon 9 rockets. This capsule will escort the four Crew-10 astronauts into orbit. Among them are NASA’s brilliant scientists Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. If all goes smoothly, they are anticipated to dock with the ISS around 6 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Upon arrival at the space station, the Crew-10 members—Ayers, McClain, Onishi, and Peskov—will spend a few days familiarizing themselves with the orbiting laboratory during a handover period with the current Crew-9 astronauts. The outgoing Crew-9 is composed of Williams, Wilmore, NASA’s Nick Hague, and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov. The changeover is crucial; following this period, Williams and Wilmore will finally return to Earth around March 16, provided that Crew-10’s launch proceeds as planned.
Williams and Wilmore have an interesting backstory; they have been aboard the ISS since last June due to their role in piloting Boeing’s inaugural crewed test flight of the Starliner capsule. Initially, their stay was supposed to last only a week, but complications like helium leaks and propulsion problems with the Starliner caused NASA to declare the vehicle too dangerous for their return. As a result, their extended mission has raised eyebrows and, in some circles, accusations of political maneuvering, particularly following claims made by President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Despite the public controversy surrounding Crew-9 and Crew-10 missions, which have gained attention due to narratives from influential figures, NASA maintains that these operations are critical for the crewed presence on the ISS. Musk, who now serves as a senior advisor to Trump, has alleged that the Biden administration delayed their return for political reasons, a claim NASA has refuted. A former NASA senior official confirmed that SpaceX never presented a proposal to return Williams and Wilmore earlier than planned, emphasizing that such decisions typically would not have been approved under any circumstances.
During the discourse about the space missions, NASA program manager Steve Stich stated that NASA never considered sending a separate mission to retrieve Williams and Wilmore but chose to follow their structured operational protocols instead. “It just didn’t make sense to accelerate a SpaceX flight to return Butch and Suni earlier,” he remarked, underlining the organization’s strategic planning approach.
In August 2024, from their orbiting facility, Williams and Wilmore were reassigned to the SpaceX crew mission after it was determined that the Starliner would fly home empty. They joined the ISS official crew with Crew-9, who had two seats reserved for them. Nevertheless, while Crew-9 initially was due back as early as February 2024, delays caused by issues with the new Crew Dragon capsule postponed their return to late March.
NASA firmly maintains the necessity of sending Crew-10 to the ISS and conducting a handover before Crew-9 returns to Earth. The agency aims to keep a consistent representation of astronauts aboard, emphasizing collaboration among partner countries in the endeavor.
Williams and Wilmore have spoken about their time in space with enthusiasm—asserting they are enjoying their experience as a chance to contribute to critical scientific work aboard the orbiting station. Williams expressed her joyous sentiment about their presence in space, stating, “This is my happy place.” Wilmore echoed similar sentiments, articulating a need to change the narrative regarding their extended stay in space from one of abandonment to one of preparedness and commitment.
Ultimately, while the discourse surrounding space exploration and political implications may persist, the hearts of astronauts lie in their contributions to science and humanity. As Crew-10 embarks on their mission, their journey symbolizes the fusion of scientific inquiry, international cooperation, and the human spirit of exploration, against a backdrop of technological achievements and political intricacies that shape modern spaceflight.