SpaceX Launches Crew-10 to Relieve Astronauts Delayed on ISS for Nine Months

NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams, stranded due to Boeing spacecraft issues, prepare to return after an extended mission aboard the International Space Station.

SpaceX's Crew-10 mission launched successfully at 7:03 PM EDT from Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russia's Kirill Peskov will replace Crew-9, including Wilmore and Williams, who have been aboard the ISS since June 2024.
Wilmore and Williams' return was delayed due to technical failures with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which forced an uncrewed return to Earth last September.
The extended mission allowed Wilmore and Williams to conduct repairs, scientific experiments, and spacewalks, with Williams setting a career record for most spacewalking hours by a woman.
The returning astronauts are expected to splash down off Florida's coast next week, pending weather conditions, after a brief handover period with Crew-10.