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On Friday, March 14, SpaceX successfully launched its Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a significant step in NASA’s ongoing crew rotation program and paving the way for the return of two astronauts who have been in orbit for an unexpectedly extended period. The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon spacecraft Endurance, lifted off at 6:03 p.m. CDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, following a scrubbed attempt earlier in the week due to technical and weather-related issues.

The Crew-10 mission includes four astronauts: NASA’s Anne McClain, serving as commander, and Nichole Ayers, the pilot; Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); and Kirill Peskov from Russia’s Roscosmos. This launch represents the 10th operational crew rotation mission under SpaceX’s partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the 14th human spaceflight mission for the Dragon spacecraft. Notably, it is the first mission in history where both the commander and pilot roles are filled by women.

The primary objective of Crew-10 is to relieve the current ISS crew, including NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the station since June 2024. Initially launched for an eight-day test flight aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, Williams and Wilmore’s mission was extended to over nine months due to technical issues with the Starliner, which NASA deemed too risky for their return. Instead, the duo was integrated into the Crew-9 mission, which arrived in September 2024 with only two crew members to accommodate their eventual return. With Crew-10 now en route, Williams, Wilmore, and their Crew-9 colleagues—NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov—are slated to depart the ISS no earlier than Wednesday, March 19, pending favorable weather conditions at splashdown sites off Florida’s coast.

Approximately eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s reusable first-stage booster successfully landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1, marking its second flight after previously supporting the SES 03b mPOWER-e mission.

Tonight, March 15, the Crew-10 astronauts arrived and docked to the ISS at 11:04 p.m.

Watch Dragon and Crew-10 dock with the @Space_Station → https://t.co/VPdhVwQ7Yb https://t.co/cs8XqY7GOd

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 16, 2025

The mission has drawn attention not only for its operational significance but also for its role in resolving the prolonged stay of Williams and Wilmore, which had sparked political commentary and claims that astronauts the were abandoned for political reasons involving the Biden Administration and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

The Crew-10 team will begin a six-month mission aboard the ISS, conducting scientific research and maintaining the orbiting laboratory. Their journey into orbit was marked by a lighthearted moment when they revealed their zero-gravity indicator—a hand-crocheted origami crane named “Droog,” Russian for “friend”—symbolizing the international collaboration among the crew.

With the successful launch of Crew-10, NASA and SpaceX continue to demonstrate the reliability of their partnership in human spaceflight, while Williams and Wilmore edge closer to their long-awaited return to Earth.

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