NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-10 astronauts to the International Space Station on Friday night in a mission that also aims to replace Starliner astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore.
At 7:03 p.m. EDT, under a clear early evening sky with a setting sun, the launch proceeded as planned. Friday’s success followed SpaceX ground teams resolving an air pocket issue in the hydraulics system for the clamp arm supporting the Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday.
The mission represents a collaborative effort between federal and private entities.
“I am extremely proud of our NASA and SpaceX ground engineers and joint operations teams in quickly identifying and resolving this issue,” NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich stated.
“I’m especially proud of the team’s systematic approach throughout the countdown, analyzing data and making thoughtful decisions to ensure the integrity of our mission. Their commitment to both excellence and safety is a true testament to the strength of this integrated team.”
The Crew-10 mission lifted off from pad 39A at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. Minutes after launch, Falcon 9’s first stage successfully landed on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Following this, Dragon entered low Earth orbit, beginning its pursuit of the International Space Station for docking later. This marks the 22nd launch of 2025 from the Space Coast.
Aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft were NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
NASA and SpaceX Successful LaunchThis flight is the second for McClain and Onishi, while it is the first for Ayers and Peskov.
The Crew-10 mission is expected to reach the space station and dock at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“Crew-10 will rotate roles with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew, including agency astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The Crew-9 mission, which has a separate Dragon spacecraft already docked to the space station, will then undock from the orbiting laboratory and return to Earth. Crew-9 undock is scheduled for no earlier than Wednesday, March 19,” NASA said.
Ultimately, there will be 11 crew members on the ISS.
Aboard the Crew-9 capsule, Williams and Wilmore will return to Earth “no earlier than Wednesday, March 19,” according to NASA. They will be accompanied by NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov, who arrived at the ISS on September 29, 2024.
Williams and Wilmore initially traveled to the space station aboard Boeing’s troubled Starliner on June 5, 2024, for what was intended as a week-long test flight. However, due to Starliner issues, their mission extended to nine months.
Starliner experienced helium leaks and thruster malfunctions. NASA announced in December that they would remain on the space station and return to Earth no later than late March 2025.
SpaceX stated: “The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew NASA’s Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions to and from the space station.
This will be the second flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched the SES 03b mPOWER-e mission. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.”
The Crew-10 launch was initially scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed due to a hydraulics issue with the ground support clamp arm, according to NASA.