Sunita Williams’ Return: SpaceX Crew-10 Docks at ISS to Replace Stranded Astronauts

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked at the ISS on Sunday, bringing a fresh team of astronauts to replace NASA’s stranded crew members, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been in orbit for over nine months. The new arrivals, representing the U.S., Japan, and Russia, will take over station operations. Williams and Wilmore originally launched on Boeing’s Starliner for a short mission, but technical issues prevented their return. NASA abandoned plans to bring them back on Starliner and opted for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon instead.

However, their return was delayed due to battery issues in their replacements’ capsule, leading NASA to switch to a pre-tested Crew Dragon. With Crew-10 now onboard, Williams and Wilmore are set to return on March 19. Crew-10 launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on March 14 and successfully docked at the ISS. They have officially joined Expedition 72, and Williams has handed over ISS command to Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. NASA confirmed that Williams, Wilmore, and two other astronauts will depart on March 19, with their capsule expected to splash down off Florida’s coast, weather permitting.

Sunita Williams’ Return: SpaceX Crew-10 Docks at ISS to Replace Stranded Astronauts

On Sunday, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS), delivering a new team of astronauts to replace NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded in orbit for over nine months. The four new crew members—from the United States, Japan, and Russia—will spend the next few days learning the station’s systems under the guidance of Wilmore and Williams before taking over their duties.

Wilmore and Williams initially traveled to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for what was supposed to be a one-week mission. However, due to multiple technical issues with the Starliner, NASA had to cancel plans for their return using the same spacecraft. Instead, the agency decided to bring them back using a SpaceX capsule. In September, a SpaceX vehicle was sent to the ISS with two crew members and two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams. However, their return was delayed again when the replacement capsule required significant battery repairs. As a result, NASA opted to use an older, pre-tested capsule for the mission.

Now that their replacements have arrived, Wilmore and Williams are preparing to return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, along with two other astronauts. If weather conditions permit, the capsule is expected to undock from the ISS no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off the coast of Florida.

The new crew, known as Crew-10, launched on March 14 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They successfully docked at the ISS on March 15. The team includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. After a two-day handover period, Crew-10 will officially take over as part of Expedition 72, while Crew-9, including Wilmore and Williams, will depart for Earth.

Sunita Williams, who has been in space for nearly nine months, has formally handed over command of the ISS to Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. Ovchinin will oversee station operations for the next six months. NASA has confirmed that Williams, Wilmore, and two other astronauts, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, will leave the ISS on March 19, marking the end of their extended mission.

The successful docking of Crew-10 also marked a milestone for SpaceX, as the Falcon 9 first-stage booster completed its 400th successful landing. This mission highlights the ongoing collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, and international partners like JAXA and Roscosmos to maintain operations on the ISS and ensure the safe return of astronauts.

In summary, after nine months in space, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are finally set to return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. Their replacements, Crew-10, have arrived safely at the ISS and will take over their responsibilities. The mission underscores the importance of international cooperation in space exploration and the critical role of reusable spacecraft technology in advancing human spaceflight.