After an unexpected nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to return to Earth, thanks to the successful arrival of SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission.
The Crew-10 astronauts docked with the ISS early Sunday, marking a crucial step toward resolving a prolonged issue that left Wilmore and Williams stranded in orbit.
Their ordeal began in June 2024, when they launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for what was initially an eight-day mission. However, technical issues forced NASA to send the Starliner capsule back to Earth without its crew in September, leaving the astronauts without a designated return vehicle.
FILE PHOTO: NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams pose for a picture at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, ahead of Boeing’s Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
To bring them home, NASA expedited the Crew-10 mission, launching a new crew from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday evening. The Crew Dragon capsule carried NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. After a 29-hour journey, they successfully docked with the ISS early Sunday, according to Reuters.
Their arrival was met with relief and celebration aboard the station. Wilmore opened the hatch, ringing the ship’s bell as the new crew members floated in to warm embraces and handshakes.
Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to depart the ISS on Wednesday alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Astronauts are seen inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, two veteran NASA astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station for nine months, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut Nick Hague, after the capsule undocked from the ISS to begin a journey to return to Earth March 18, 2025 in this still image taken from video. NASA/Handout via REUTERS
The Crew-10 team will remain aboard the ISS for six months, conducting scientific research and performing critical maintenance. Their mission not only ensures the station’s continued operations but also brings closure to an unexpectedly extended chapter in space exploration.
