A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule delivered four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) early Sunday as part of NASA’s Crew-10 mission, enabling the long-awaited return of stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams after nine months aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The spacecraft docked with the ISS just after midnight ET, 29 hours after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new arrivals were greeted by the station’s seven-member crew, including Wilmore and Williams, who have been unable to return due to a malfunction in Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which NASA recalled last August.
NASA’s live stream captured the emotional welcome, with astronauts embracing and celebrating. Williams even danced as the Crew-10 team boarded the station. “That is such an amazing journey, you can hardly even put it into words,” said NASA astronaut Anne McClain.
The Crew-10 team—McClain, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov—will remain on the ISS for approximately six months. Meanwhile, Wilmore and Williams are set to depart as early as Wednesday at 4 a.m. ET alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who arrived last September on a Crew Dragon spacecraft equipped with two extra seats for the stranded astronauts.
The mission has sparked political controversy, with former U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk alleging, without evidence, that Wilmore and Williams were deliberately left behind under the previous administration. Initially intended as an eight-day mission, their stay was extended due to Starliner’s thruster malfunctions and helium leaks.
Despite their prolonged mission, Wilmore and Williams have continued scientific research and maintenance work aboard the ISS. Williams expressed excitement about returning home to her family and pets, stating, “It’s been a roller-coaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
