The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off smoothly at 7:03 pm ET (4:33 am IST), carrying a new crew of four astronauts. Applause erupted at the mission control centre as the rocket passed each flight checkpoint without any issues.
Have a great time in space, y’all!
#Crew10 lifted off from @NASAKennedy at 7:03pm ET (2303 UTC) on Friday, March 14. pic.twitter.com/9Vf7VVeGev
— NASA (@NASA) March 14, 2025
NASA had earlier said that Williams and Wilmore could depart the ISS as early as March 19. Originally scheduled for an eight-day stay, the duo remained in space far longer than planned due to technical failures in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
During their approach to the ISS, five of the 28 thrusters on the Starliner malfunctioned, forcing an unplanned extension of their mission from days to months. Concerns over their prolonged stay grew, particularly after images revealed noticeable weight loss in Williams.
Who will replace Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore?
The Crew-10 mission is bringing in a fresh team of astronauts to take over their duties. The four-member crew includes Russian cosmonaut and mission specialist Kirill Peskov, NASA pilot Nichole Ayers, commander Anne McClain, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Takuya Onishi.
Their journey to the ISS is expected to last approximately 28 hours, with their arrival anticipated on Saturday. As the spacecraft entered orbit, the ground crew extended their well wishes, while the astronauts took turns expressing gratitude to their families, friends, and the launch team.
Originally set to launch earlier, Crew-10 faced a brief delay due to high winds and adverse weather conditions along Dragon’s flight path. This mission marks SpaceX’s 10th crew rotation under NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme and the 11th crewed flight overall, including the Demo-2 test mission.
