Watch | NASA’s Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore hug Crew-10 astronauts, celebrate their arrival

A SpaceX crew capsule docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, March 16, delivering replacements for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded in orbit for over nine months due to delays.

Wilmore and Williams embraced the new arrivals as Crew-10 entered the space station, celebrating their long-awaited replacements.

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All the hugs. ????

The hatch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft opened March 16 at 1:35 a.m. ET and the members of Crew-10 entered the @Space_Station with the rest of their excited Expedition 72 crew. pic.twitter.com/mnUddqPqfr

— NASA’s Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) March 16, 2025

Originally set to return on Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule after a planned week-long mission, Wilmore and Williams remained at the ISS when NASA sent the spacecraft back empty. A SpaceX capsule arrived in September with two crew members and reserved seats for their return, but further setbacks caused additional delays.

Wilmore and Williams were expected to be gone just a week when they launched on Boeing’s first astronaut flight last June. They hit the nine-month mark earlier this month.

Now, with an older SpaceX capsule stepping in, Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts are scheduled to depart no earlier than Wednesday, March 19, weather permitting, before splashing down off Florida’s coast.

Also Read: NASA and SpaceX launch Crew-10 mission to bring Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore back home