NASA and SpaceX Launch Crew-10 Mission to the International Space Station
On Friday evening, NASA and SpaceX successfully launched a long-awaited mission to the International Space Station (ISS), aimed at facilitating the return of U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The duo has been residing aboard the orbital lab for an extended period of nine months.
The Falcon 9 rocket, operated by SpaceX, lifted off at precisely 7:03 p.m. ET (23:30 GMT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission carries four astronauts who will replace Wilmore and Williams, both seasoned NASA astronauts and retired U.S. Navy test pilots. Notably, they were the first to pilot Boeing’s Starliner capsule to the ISS back in June.
However, complications with the Starliner’s propulsion system during that flight necessitated an extension of Wilmore and Williams’ stay. NASA determined it was too risky for them to return on the Starliner, which had returned to Earth empty in September. Thus, what was initially a standard crew rotation has turned into a critical mission to ensure the safe return of the astronaut pair.
Wilmore and Williams are expected to depart the ISS on March 19, following the arrival of the Crew-10 astronauts on Saturday night. This mission has not only become a focal point for space exploration but has also become intertwined with political narratives. President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have claimed, without substantiated evidence, that former President Joe Biden’s administration left the astronauts on the station for political motives.
In response to these claims, Wilmore expressed his readiness for a prolonged mission, stating, “We came prepared to stay long, even though we planned to stay short.” He emphasized that NASA’s decision to extend their stay was based on operational needs rather than political influences. “That’s what your nation’s human spaceflight program is all about,” he added, “planning for unknown, unexpected contingencies. And we did that.”
NASA has maintained that the two astronauts were required to remain on the ISS to uphold its minimum staffing levels. As their mission evolved into a standard rotation, Wilmore and Williams engaged in scientific research and performed routine maintenance alongside their fellow astronauts.
The involvement of Trump and Musk in advocating for an earlier return was an unusual occurrence, prompting NASA to expedite the Crew-10 mission, moving it up from its original date of March 26. This involved swapping a delayed SpaceX capsule for one that was ready sooner.
The pressure exerted by Musk and Trump has influenced the typically structured safety and preparation processes of NASA. Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, noted that SpaceX’s “rapid pace of operations” required the agency to adapt some of its flight safety verification methods.
NASA’s space operations chief, Ken Bowersox, explained that the agency needed to tackle some “late-breaking” issues, including an investigation into a fuel leak from a recent Falcon 9 launch and the deterioration of a coating on some Dragon crew capsule thrusters. Bowersox acknowledged the challenge of keeping pace with SpaceX’s agility: “We’re not quite as agile as they are, but we’re working well together.”
Upon the arrival of the new crew at the ISS, Wilmore, Williams, and two additional crew members—NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—will prepare to return to Earth in a capsule that has been docked to the station since September, as part of the previous Crew-9 mission. If Crew-10 launches as scheduled, it is expected to dock with the ISS at 11:30 p.m. ET on Saturday (03:30 GMT on Sunday), followed by a traditional handover ceremony, paving the way for the Crew-9 crew’s departure on March 19.
With contributions from various sources.
