Last Updated on March 15, 2025 by Sandeep
After nine months stranded on the ISS, US astronauts set to return home as Crew-10 mission lifts off successfully
🚀 Houston (Texas) [US], March 15: After nine months of uncertainty in space, NASA and SpaceX have launched a high-priority mission to bring back US astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS). The duo, who were originally scheduled for a short-term stay, found themselves stuck on the orbiting laboratory due to delays in spacecraft availability and safety concerns.
The Crew-10 mission lifted off successfully at 7:03 PM ET on Friday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission also delivered four new crew members to the ISS for their long-term stay.
🛰️ Crew-10: A Critical Mission for NASA and SpaceX
Alongside the return of Williams and Wilmore, the Crew-10 mission has also sent four astronauts to the ISS:
✅ NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers
✅ JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi
✅ Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov
This marks the 10th crew rotation mission under SpaceX’s human space transportation system and the 11th flight with astronauts aboard, including the Demo-2 test flight. The Crew-10 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, a partnership with SpaceX to develop reliable human spaceflight capabilities.
🆘 “Get the Astronauts Home Now”: Trump’s Directive to Musk
The urgency surrounding this mission intensified after former US President Donald Trump personally urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to accelerate efforts to bring the astronauts back.
📢 “President Trump said to Elon Musk, ‘Get the astronauts home and do it now’—and they’re responding,” said US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a video message ahead of the launch.
Hegseth added, “We wish you Godspeed, and we look forward to welcoming you all home soon.”
Williams and Wilmore, both retired US Navy Captains, had been scheduled to return shortly after their arrival in June 2024 but faced prolonged delays due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was originally meant to bring them back.
🌍 NASA and SpaceX: A Partnership for the Future
🔹 The mission highlights NASA’s reliance on commercial partners like SpaceX for space travel.
🔹 Crew-10’s success is vital for ensuring future smooth rotations of astronauts to and from the ISS.
🔹 SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, already proven reliable in past missions, is expected to safely return the astronauts in the coming days.
As the mission progresses, the safe return of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will mark another milestone in commercial spaceflight and reinforce NASA’s commitment to seamless space exploration and astronaut safety.
