NASA and SpaceX’s Triumphant Rescue: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Return After Nine Months on ISS

NASA and SpaceX have successfully launched the Crew-10 mission, aiming to return stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 4:33 a.m. (IST) on March 14, 2025, following a brief delay due to a technical issue with a ground support clamp arm.

The Crew-10 mission includes four astronauts: NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

This marks the 10th crew rotation mission under SpaceX’s human space transportation program and the 11th flight with a crew aboard the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, including the Demo-2 test flight.

Astronauts Stranded for Nine Months

Veteran NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded aboard the ISS since June 2024.

Their original eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft extended into nine months due to a technical malfunction.

The Starliner, designed for short missions, encountered issues that prevented it from safely returning the astronauts to Earth.

Initially, Williams and Wilmore were scheduled to return in February 2025. However, further delays postponed their return until after the Crew-10 mission.

NASA has confirmed that the two astronauts are now set to return to Earth shortly after Crew-10’s arrival at the ISS.

Political Tensions Surrounding the Delay

The prolonged delay in returning the astronauts has become a political issue.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk, who also leads SpaceX, accused former President Joe Biden of intentionally delaying the return of the astronauts for political reasons. Musk did not provide any specific evidence to support these claims.

Trump further fueled the controversy by making comments about Sunita Williams, referring to her as “the woman with the wild hair” and speculating about the relationship between Williams and Wilmore.

The accusations have caused tension within the space community, with Musk lashing out at Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen on social media when Mogensen raised concerns about the delay.

Despite the political friction, NASA maintained that the delay was due to technical challenges with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

Crew-10’s Objectives and Timeline

The Crew-10 spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS at approximately 11:30 p.m. on March 15. After docking, the four astronauts will spend a few days adjusting before taking over operations from Crew-9, which will depart no earlier than March 19.

Anne McClain, the mission commander, is making her second trip to the ISS and will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72/73.

Nichole Ayers, the pilot of Crew-10, is flying her first mission after being selected as an astronaut in 2021.

Takuya Onishi, a mission specialist, is making his second trip to the ISS, while Kirill Peskov is on his first mission. All four crew members will serve as flight engineers during their stay.

NASA’s acting Administrator Janet Petro highlighted the significance of the mission, stating, “Congratulations to our NASA and SpaceX teams on the 10th crew rotation mission under our commercial crew partnership. This milestone demonstrates NASA’s continued commitment to advancing American leadership in space and driving growth in our national space economy.”

Scientific Goals and Research

During their mission, the Crew-10 astronauts will conduct a series of scientific experiments and technological tests. These include material flammability tests aimed at improving future spacecraft and facility designs.

The crew will also participate in the ISS Ham Radio program, engaging with students worldwide and testing backup lunar navigation solutions.

Additionally, the astronauts will serve as test subjects for an integrated study on the physiological and psychological effects of long-duration spaceflight.

The research is expected to provide valuable insights for future deep-space missions, including those to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program.

Monitoring and Operations

SpaceX will monitor Dragon’s flight from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California. NASA will oversee ISS operations from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Live coverage of the docking and hatch opening will be broadcast on NASA+ at 9:45 p.m. on March 15. The crew is expected to open the hatch between Dragon and the Harmony module around 1:05 a.m. on March 16.

The number of crew members on the ISS will temporarily increase to 11 as Crew-10 joins the current team, including NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner.

Following a brief handover period, Crew-9 will return to Earth after weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the coast of Florida are reviewed.