SpaceX's Crew-10 lift-off planned, set to bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth
Let's blast off with some space news 🤘 Get the latest on incredible discoveries and scientific advancements by subscribing to CNN's Wonder Theory.
SpaceX is gearing up for another mission, aiming to launch a crew of astronauts to the International Space Station, allowing NASA's Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore a chance to return home, wrapping up a nine-month journey that started as a quick days-long trip due to some political twists.
The eagerly anticipated Crew-10 mission, a staff rotation initiative run jointly by NASA and SpaceX, is scheduled to take off at 7:03 p.m. ET on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
A SpaceX Dragon capsule, perched on one of SpaceX's mighty Falcon 9 rockets, will ferry four Crew-10 astronauts - NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, representing the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov – to the cosmos.
Upon their arrival, they are expected to dock with the space station around 11:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. They'll then embark on a "handover" period with Williams, Wilmore, and fellow Crew-9 astronauts, NASA's Nick Hague and Ruscosmos' Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The Crew-9 Dragon capsule has been attached to the space station since September. If everything goes as scheduled, Williams, Wilmore, Hague, and Gorbunov will board the Crew-9 spacecraft and return to Earth on March 19.
Initially, NASA had planned for Williams, Wilmore, and the Crew-9 team to return as early as Sunday. However, their homecoming is contingent on the Crew-10 mission's successful liftoff – and a launch attempt was called off on Wednesday due to problems with SpaceX's launchpad ground systems.
The new launch date is a bit closer to a late March departure that NASA hinted at in December previous to SpaceX swapping out the Dragon capsule used for the Crew-10 mission to speed up Williams and Wilmore's journey home.
Launch postponements are common for technical issues, but the slight delay in launching Crew-10 has reawakened discussions about Williams and Wilmore being "stuck" or "stranded" in space – terms the astronauts have continually rejected.
"We've heard the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck – and yea, we get it," Wilmore told CNN's Anderson Cooper in February. "Let's change it to: prepared and committed despite what you've been hearing. That's what we prefer."
Post the transfer of duties to the Crew-10 astronauts, the Crew-9 astronauts can board their capsule and detach from the space station – signifying the final leg of Williams and Wilmore's dramatic voyage.
Though their space stay has become increasingly political, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Trump voicing the notion that the Biden administration stranded them up there, Williams and Wilmore have been aware since at least the summer that they would return home with Crew-9 as part of the routine staff rotation.
🎯 Fun Fact:
Did you know that Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore piloted the inaugural crewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule back in June? Multiple issues with the vehicle delayed their departure from the space station, forcing them to stay onboard for what became a nine-month mission. Eventually, NASA elected to integrate the astronauts into the official space station staff – making them part of the routine crew rotation – which set them up to return home with SpaceX's Crew-9 mission.
🚀 Try Saying That in Space:
"Help us change the narrative, let's change it to: prepared and committed despite what you've been hearing. That's what we prefer." – Butch Wilmore to CNN's Anderson Cooper in February.
- The scheduled Crew-10 mission, a collaboration between NASA and SpaceX, is slated to assess SpaceX's readiness for another loop after the SpaceX Dragon capsule, carried by a Falcon 9 rocket, embarks on a mission to transport four astronauts.
- The SpaceX Dragon capsule will transport NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to the International Space Station, with the finale of their fascinating journey expected to be assessed upon their arrival.
- The success of SpaceX's Crew-10 mission is crucial for the schedule and eventual return of Sunny Williams, Butch Wilmore, and their Crew-9 teammates, as their homecoming dates are contingent on the successful liftoff of the SpaceX Dragon capsule.
