Crew-10 Docks at ISS, Welcoming New Members and Preparing for Crew-9's Return After Extended Starliner Delay

SpaceX's Crew-10 Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on March 16, bringing astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov to the Expedition 72 crew. The docking occurred at 12:04 a.m. EDT, following a launch from Kennedy Space Center. The new arrivals are set to replace Crew-9, including Nick Hague, Aleksandr Gorbunov, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, who are scheduled to return to Earth as early as March 19. Williams and Wilmore's extended stay resulted from propulsion issues during the Boeing Starliner test flight last June, delaying their initial return. NASA continues to work with Boeing to resolve these issues, aiming for Starliner certification by the end of the year, though a busy ISS schedule might push the next flight into 2026. Meanwhile, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has suggested deorbiting the ISS to focus on Mars missions, but NASA maintains its commitment to the station through 2030, pending the establishment of commercial low Earth orbit platforms.