SpaceX Crew-10 astronauts successfully docked their Dragon spacecraft at the International Space Station (ISS) last Sunday, marking the return path for stranded US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams who have been at the ISS for over nine months. The Crew-10 mission, which launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Friday evening, included NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. The arrival of the Crew-10 members was met with joyous scenes as they embraced the Expedition 72 crew members, including Wilmore and Williams, currently aboard the ISS. Since their planned eight-day mission extension turned into a prolonged stay due to helium leaks and thruster issues with the Starliner spacecraft that initially brought them to the ISS, Wilmore and Williams have been aiding in station research, maintenance, and Starliner system testing. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft safely returned to Earth in September after the decision was made to send it back uncrewed for safety reasons. Wilmore and Williams are expected to return to Earth no earlier than March 19, following a handover period with the Crew-10 members. They will be joined by American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who arrived in September. The Crew-10 astronauts are scheduled to spend the next six months on the ISS conducting scientific research and testing to support future space missions.
