Crew-10 Mission Members Set to Bring Back Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore: Who Are They?

Tesla’s SpaceX and NASA have launched the much-anticipated Crew-10 mission to replace stranded NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying Crew-10 members, was launched on March 15 at 7:03 PM ET (4:33 AM IST) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The new crew includes Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers from NASA, Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos.

The astronauts will undergo a short two-day handover period before replacing the stranded astronauts and taking over their duties.

After Crew-10’s arrival, the number of astronauts aboard the ISS will temporarily increase to 11, joining NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner.

The new crew is expected to reach the International Space Station in 28 hours on Saturday.

NASA has forecasted that the stranded astronauts, who have been stuck at the ISS, can return to Earth by March 19.

Also Read: Sunita Williams’ Homecoming: Musk's SpaceX Launches Crew-10 Mission to Rescue 'Stranded' NASA Astronauts From ISS | WATCH

Before Crew-9 departs, NASA teams will analyze weather conditions at splashdown sites off the Florida coast to ensure a safe return.

Crew-10 will remain aboard the ISS for the next six months to conduct further research and exploration, including lunar navigation, material flammability studies, and studying the effects of space on the human body.

With Crew-10 successfully reaching orbit, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will finally return home.