SpaceX and NASA successfully launched the Crew-10 mission on Friday, sending four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in a long-awaited rotation flight that will finally allow NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return home after an extended nine-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The mission, otherwise a routine crew rotation, has drawn heightened political attention due to the prolonged stay of Wilmore and Williams, who were the first astronauts to fly Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule to the ISS in June 2024. The delay in their return has prompted questions about NASA’s planning, accusations of political interference, and even intervention from former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
At 7:03 p.m. ET (2303 GMT), SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts: NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. The Crew-10 mission is expected to reach the ISS at 11:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Upon their arrival, the four astronauts will replace Wilmore and Williams, who, along with NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are scheduled to depart the ISS as early as 4 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Hague and Gorbunov arrived in September on a Crew Dragon craft with two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams, signaling NASA’s long-term plan to bring them back via an existing crew rotation rather than a dedicated rescue mission.
The Crew-10 launch took place while Wilmore and Williams were asleep in their daily ISS schedule, according to Dina Contella, deputy manager of NASA’s ISS program. Their return marks the end of an unexpectedly long mission that began with the historic first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner—a spacecraft that has faced numerous technical issues and delays.Minutes after reaching orbit, Crew-10 mission commander Anne McClain introduced their microgravity indicator: a plush origami crane. The gesture, a tradition in American spaceflight, symbolizes peace, hope, and healing.
“It is far easier to be enemies than it is to be friends, it’s easier to break partnerships and relationships than it is to build them,” McClain said from the Crew Dragon capsule in a live-streamed message. “Spaceflight is hard, and success depends on leaders of character who choose a harder right over the easier wrong, and who build programs, partnerships, and relationships. We explore for the benefit of all.”
Her words appeared to subtly address the growing political and public debate surrounding the mission.
What should have been a standard crew rotation became entangled in political controversy as former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pushed for an accelerated Crew-10 launch. Both accused the Biden administration of abandoning Wilmore and Williams on the ISS for political reasons.
Without presenting evidence, Trump claimed that the Biden administration delayed their return unnecessarily, an assertion amplified by Musk, whose company SpaceX has been a critical partner in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Musk even suggested last year that SpaceX could launch a dedicated Dragon rescue mission for the two astronauts—a proposal NASA ultimately declined.
However, Wilmore himself rejected the notion that politics played a role in NASA’s decision to keep them aboard the ISS.
“We came prepared to stay long, even though we planned to stay short,” Wilmore told reporters from space earlier this month. “That’s what your nation’s human spaceflight program’s all about—planning for unknown, unexpected contingencies. And we did that.”
NASA officials have emphasized that their prolonged stay was dictated by operational needs. The agency required Wilmore and Williams to remain aboard to maintain proper staffing levels on the ISS while Crew-10’s launch was prepared. A dedicated rescue mission was not financially or operationally necessary, according to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich.
While Wilmore and Williams’ return is a significant milestone, it is not being treated as a rescue mission. Instead, NASA has framed it as part of a standard crew rotation. The two astronauts will return to Earth as late additions to the Crew-9 crew, which initially launched without them.
In the meantime, Wilmore and Williams have remained active on the ISS, conducting scientific research and performing station maintenance alongside the existing crew. Despite the extended mission, they have stayed in good spirits.
Williams, a veteran of two previous spaceflights, has expressed excitement about returning home. “I’m looking forward to seeing my two dogs and my family,” she said earlier this month. “It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us.”
NASA has faced unique challenges in preparing for Crew-10’s launch. The mission was originally scheduled for March 26, but under pressure from Musk and Trump, the agency moved it up to an earlier date.
“This was an unusual flow in many respects,” Stich said, noting that NASA had to overcome several technical challenges before launching the mission.
One of the biggest concerns was a fuel leak detected in a recent SpaceX Falcon 9 launch. Engineers also had to evaluate the deterioration of a protective coating on some of Crew Dragon’s thrusters. These last-minute safety concerns added pressure to an already expedited schedule.
NASA space operations chief Ken Bowersox acknowledged the challenge of keeping up with SpaceX’s fast-paced development. “We’re not quite as agile as they are, but we’re working well together,” he said.
The Crew-10 mission is yet another step in NASA’s growing reliance on commercial partners like SpaceX for human spaceflight operations. While Boeing’s Starliner program continues to struggle with technical delays, SpaceX has emerged as NASA’s most reliable transportation partner for ISS crew rotations.
Looking ahead, NASA plans to continue alternating between SpaceX and Boeing spacecraft for future missions. However, the extended stay of Wilmore and Williams has underscored the risks of relying on unproven technology. NASA officials have indicated that they will conduct a thorough review of Boeing’s Starliner before committing to future crewed missions aboard the vehicle.
For now, all eyes are on Crew-10’s arrival at the ISS and the safe return of Wilmore, Williams, Hague, and Gorbunov. Their successful homecoming will mark the conclusion of a mission that was never meant to last nine months but has become a testament to NASA’s adaptability in the face of unexpected challenges.
As the ISS remains a crucial hub for international space collaboration, NASA’s ability to navigate political pressures, technical setbacks, and operational hurdles will define the future of U.S. human spaceflight.
For Wilmore and Williams, their time in space is finally coming to an end. For NASA, the challenges of space exploration are just beginning.
