Overview

• SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched the Crew-10 mission on March 14, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
• The crew includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, who will stay on the ISS for six months.
• This mission allows a handover period with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been on the ISS since June 2024 due to delays with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
• Wilmore and Williams are set to return to Earth as early as March 19, alongside Crew-9 members, after their extended stay caused by mechanical and scheduling issues.
• The mission has drawn political attention, with claims of delays being influenced by previous administrations, though NASA officials maintain decisions were based on technical and operational priorities.