In a significant step towards bringing NASA astronaut Sunita Williams back to Earth, SpaceX launched its Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The four members of Crew-10 will replace Butch Willmore and Sunita Williams, who are part of Crew-9.
The four new astronauts, Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, Takuya Onishi of JAXA, and Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers of NASA, have been chosen to join the ISS on this mission, which is a component of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme.
On Saturday, March 15, at around 4:33 AM IST, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon capsule successfully lifted off.
Four new astronauts will join the ISS on this mission, which is a component of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme: Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, Takuya Onishi of JAXA, and Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers of NASA.
Owing to technical issues and strong winds in the launch area, the launch, planned for earlier in the week, had to be postponed.
Assuming the weather would be favourable for a splashdown off the coast of Florida, the Crew-9 crew is anticipated to leave the ISS no sooner than Wednesday, March 19.
Willmore and Williams have remained at the ISS for a long time because of problems with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they launched in June 2024.
Their homecoming signifies the conclusion of an extended stay in orbit and emphasises how crucial crew rotation flights are to ensuring a constant human presence on the ISS.
Also Read: Visa Revoked For Supporting Hamas, Indian Student Self-Deports From US
