SpaceX Launches Crew-10 Mission to ISS, Ending Extended Stay for Boeing Astronauts

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the Crew-10 mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on March 12, 2025, carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to the International Space Station (ISS). The Crew Dragon Endurance capsule is expected to dock on March 13, initiating a crew handover with Crew-9. The arrival of Crew-10 marks the end of an extended stay for NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who arrived at the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 for what was initially planned as a short mission. Propulsion issues with Starliner led to the mission's extension, and the astronauts were reassigned to the Crew-9 mission for their return. Crew-9, including Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, is scheduled to depart on March 16. Crew-10 will conduct scientific research, including material flammability tests and studies on the human body's adaptation to space. The launch was initially slated for a new Crew Dragon, but delays led to the use of the flight-proven Crew Dragon Endurance.