A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) early Sunday, delivering four new astronauts to replace NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been aboard the station since June 2024.
Wilmore and Williams originally embarked on a brief mission using Boeing’s Starliner capsule, but technical issues with the spacecraft led to an extended stay. NASA decided to return the Starliner to Earth without crew, leaving the astronauts to await a subsequent SpaceX mission for their return.
The newly arrived Crew-10 consists of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. They will spend the next few days familiarizing themselves with the station’s operations under the guidance of Wilmore and Williams. The station’s population temporarily increases to 11 members during this transition period.
Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to return to Earth later this week aboard a different SpaceX capsule that has been docked at the ISS since last year. Their return is contingent upon favorable weather conditions for a safe splashdown off Florida’s coast.
This mission underscores the challenges and complexities of crewed spaceflight, highlighting the importance of reliable spacecraft and contingency planning to ensure astronaut safety.
