NASA, SpaceX Set to Launch Crew-10 Mission to ISS on March 14
NASA and SpaceX are set to launch the Crew-10 mission to the ISS on March 14 at 7:03 p.m. EDT, after postponing the previous attempt due to a hydraulic issue and adverse weather conditions. The mission will transport four astronauts—Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov—for a six-month stay. It also aims to bring back Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been aboard the ISS since June 2024 after their planned short stay was extended. Their return was delayed due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which returned to Earth unmanned.
If Crew-10 launches as scheduled, Crew-9 will depart no earlier than March 19. NASA will begin live coverage at 3 p.m. EDT on March 14, with docking expected on March 15 at 11:30 p.m. Crew-10 is SpaceX’s 10th crew rotation mission and 11th crewed flight under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA, SpaceX Set to Launch Crew-10 Mission to ISS on March 14
NASA and SpaceX have rescheduled the Crew-10 mission launch to the International Space Station (ISS) for Friday, March 14, at 7:03 p.m. EDT, following a delay caused by adverse weather and a technical issue. Initially planned for March 13, the launch was postponed due to strong winds, rain along the flight path, and a hydraulic malfunction in a ground support clamp arm at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. Engineers are working to resolve the clamp arm issue, which is critical for securing the Falcon 9 rocket during pre-launch preparations.
The Crew-10 team includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. McClain, a seasoned astronaut with prior ISS experience, will join Ayers, a former U.S. Air Force combat pilot making her inaugural spaceflight. Onishi brings expertise from Japan’s space program, while Peskov’s participation underscores ongoing U.S.-Russia collaboration despite geopolitical tensions. The crew will spend six months conducting scientific experiments, maintaining the ISS, and testing technologies for future deep-space missions.
Once Crew-10 docks on March 15 at 11:30 p.m. EDT, the outgoing Crew-9 astronauts—NASA’s Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov—will prepare to depart. Their undocking, now set for no earlier than March 19, depends on optimal weather conditions for splashdown off Florida’s coast. Williams and Wilmore, originally slated for a brief mission, have spent over nine months in space due to delays with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which faced technical setbacks during its unmanned return in September 2023.
Crew-10 marks SpaceX’s 10th operational crew rotation mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, a landmark initiative fostering public-private partnerships in spaceflight. Since the program’s inception, SpaceX has launched over 50 astronauts to the ISS, including the historic Demo-2 test flight in 2020 that ended NASA’s nine-year reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
The mission also highlights the growing role of international cooperation. JAXA and Roscosmos continue to contribute expertise, while NASA’s collaboration with SpaceX and Boeing aims to ensure redundancy in crew transportation. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth emphasized the mission’s strategic importance, stating, “Safe and reliable access to space is vital for national security and scientific leadership.”
Looking ahead, NASA plans to leverage lessons from Crew-10 for its Artemis lunar missions and eventual Mars exploration. Public engagement remains a priority, with live coverage on NASA+ and social media updates offering real-time insights into the astronauts’ journey. As commercial spaceflight evolves, missions like Crew-10 underscore humanity’s enduring quest to explore beyond Earth, driven by innovation and global partnership.
These missions pave the way for future deep-space exploration, including lunar and Martian expeditions, by refining critical technologies, improving spacecraft reliability, and enhancing international collaboration. With advancements in reusable rocket technology, sustainable habitats, and artificial intelligence-assisted navigation, humanity is steadily progressing toward a multi-planetary future. The growing role of private companies in space exploration not only reduces costs but also accelerates research and development, making ambitious goals like establishing lunar bases and manned Mars missions increasingly feasible.