NASA Crew Prepares to Swap Places in Long-Awaited Return

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The four-member SpaceX Crew-10 mission is set to relieve two NASA astronauts who have been stranded in space for nine months, marking a crucial step toward bringing them home. Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have far exceeded their original eight-day mission and are now awaiting their replacements before returning to Earth.

 

 

Crew-10, consisting of Japan's Takuya Onishi, Russia's Kirill Peskov, and NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, was scheduled to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:48 p.m. ET on Wednesday. However due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm, the mission had to be scrubbed.

 

The mission is now targeting a launch no earlier than Friday, March 14, at 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 UTC).

 

If the launch proceeds as planned, their Dragon capsule will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) around 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, paving the way for Williams and Wilmore’s departure on March in the second half of March.  

 

 

On Sunday, the Crew-10 astronauts conducted a final rehearsal, donning their spacesuits and performing air leak checks before boarding the SpaceX Dragon capsule for a dry-run. The mission's commander, Anne McClain, expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming launch, stating, "We are going to take a little bit of an adventure. We’re ready to high-five them, bring them home."  

 

Following the astronauts' exit from the launch pad, SpaceX proceeded with routine tests on the Falcon 9 rocket that would propel them to the ISS. Upon arrival, Crew-10 will remain aboard the space station for six months, continuing the work initiated by the current ISS crew.  

 

Williams and Wilmore's long-awaited return has been complicated by a series of delays and now one more has cropped up. Their original spacecraft, Boeing’s Starliner, experienced multiple technical failures, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, forcing NASA to send the vehicle back to Earth without its crew in September. As a result, Williams and Wilmore have been awaiting a new ride home.  

 

NASA's handover protocol requires an overlap between incoming and outgoing crews to ensure a smooth transition and familiarize new astronauts with station operations. Typically, this process lasts five days, but to conserve ISS food supplies and increase undocking opportunities for the outgoing Crew-9, NASA has shortened it to just two days.

 

The capsule designated to bring Williams and Wilmore home has been docked at the ISS for months. They will be joined on their return journey by NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Aleksandr Gorbunov, who arrived at the station in September 2024.  

 

The extended stay of Williams and Wilmore has not only drawn attention from the scientific community but has also become a topic of political controversy. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump have accused the Biden administration of deliberately delaying the astronauts' return for political reasons. Musk has claimed that his offer to bring the astronauts home earlier was rejected to avoid benefiting Trump’s campaign.  

 

Musk, a vocal Trump supporter, donated $288 million to his 2024 presidential campaign and appeared at multiple rallies. During a recent appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience," Musk alleged that the administration intentionally postponed the return past Inauguration Day to avoid boosting Trump’s public image and impacting Kamala Harris' potential campaign.  

 

Despite the political disputes, NASA remains focused on the mission at hand. With the Crew-10 launch on the horizon, the long ordeal of Williams and Wilmore may finally be coming to an end.

 

Based on a report by Daily Mail  2025-03-14

 

Related Topics:

NASA Stranded Astronaut Sides with Musk in Controversy Over ISS Rescue Plan

Elon Musk Claims Biden Administration Delayed NASA Astronauts’ Return for Political Gain

 

 

[Dario]

Thumbs up for the two stranded astronauts Williams and Wilmore! It is to hope that their rehab is going smoothly.