NASA's Crew-10 enters ISS today; Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore set to return soon
After docking, Crew-10 changed out of their spacesuits, prepared cargo, and opened the hatch to the ISS’s Harmony module at 10:35 a.m. IST on March 16.
The Crew-10 mission, jointly launched by NASA and SpaceX, is heading to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the regular crew rotation and will bring back stranded US astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore. The mission is nearing its next phase, with the Crew Dragon spacecraft undergoing “rendezvous, docking, and hatch opening” on Sunday, March 16, allowing the Crew-10 astronauts to enter the space station.
As per NASA's schedule, docking took place around 11.30 pm EDT (9 am IST on March 16), followed by hatch opening at 1.05 am EDT (10.35 am IST on March 16).
The Crew-10 astronauts were then welcomed aboard, and Crew-9 delivered their farewell remarks at around 1.40 am EDT (11.10 am IST on March 16).
On Friday, SpaceX launched Crew-10 on a crucial mission that will enable Wilmore and Williams to finally return home. The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon capsule, lifted off shortly after 7 p.m. New York time (4.30 am IST on Saturday) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Approximately 10 minutes after liftoff, the capsule separated from the rocket’s upper stage, and SpaceX confirmed that the crew was en route to the ISS.
In spaceflight, rendezvous is the process of two spacecraft meeting in orbit through precise navigation before docking, where they physically connect.
In the Crew-10 mission, docking occurs when the Crew Dragon (spacecraft) attaches to the ISS, either automatically or manually. Once securely docked, astronauts check for air leaks before proceeding with the hatch opening, which allows Crew-10 members to enter the ISS and join the existing crew.
Here's how Crew-10 proceeded
After docking, the Crew-10 astronauts changed out of their spacesuits and began preparing cargo for offloading before opening the hatch between the Dragon spacecraft and the ISS’s Harmony module around 1.05 am on Sunday, March 16 (US time).
Once aboard the station, NASA broadcasted the Crew-10 welcome remarks, followed by Crew-9's farewell remarks, starting at approximately 1:40 a.m. (US time).
With Crew-10's arrival, the total number of astronauts on the ISS briefly increased to 11. The new crew will join NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner, according to NASA. After a short handover period, Hague, Williams, Wilmore, and Gorbunov are scheduled to return to Earth no earlier than Wednesday, March 19.
Before Crew-9's departure, mission teams will assess weather conditions at potential splashdown sites off the coast of Florida to ensure a safe return.
Two-day handover period before Williams and Wilmore leave
The Crew Dragon (Crew-10) mission comprises NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. As part of NASA’s continuous crew rotation on the ISS, the new team must complete “a two-day handover” process before the current crew, including Wilmore and Williams, can depart.
Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to return to Earth no earlier than March 19, travelling aboard a SpaceX capsule already docked at the station.
Originally, Wilmore and Williams arrived on the ISS in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, intending to stay for only a week. However, technical issues with Starliner led NASA to deem it unsafe for their return journey.
As a result, the agency decided to extend their mission and bring them back on a SpaceX craft, prolonging their stay to nearly nine months.
The delayed return of Wilmore and Williams has drawn national attention and concern, with figures like President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk weighing in on the situation. Meanwhile, Crew-10 is set to stay on the ISS until fall (for the next six months), focussing on scientific research related to lunar navigation, material flammability, and the human body’s response to space.
