Elon Musk-headquartered SpaceX will send on Wednesday the eagerly awaited Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The four-astronaut-carrying mission will depart from the launch pad of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:18 AM IST today. 

The Crew-10 is taking the next set of ISS astronauts to their orbiting habitat as the spacecraft Dragon readies itself to fetch the existing crew. Among them are NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been in space for more than eight months because of an extended mission.

Why are NASA's astronauts still in orbit?

Williams and Wilmore first traveled to the ISS on Boeing's Starliner in 2024 for a planned eight-day mission. With unexpected technical issues and scheduling obstacles, their tour has lasted quite a bit longer. NASA finally announced that astronauts are set to return to Earth on March 19 or 20 on a SpaceX spacecraft.

Who is on the Crew-10 mission?

Crew-10 will transport four astronauts: Anne McClain, Ayers Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov. They will replace the existing team on the ISS to ensure there is a smooth transition for both research and station operations. The Dragon spacecraft on this mission has proved to be reliable, having backed NASA's previous Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions.

After its launch on a Falcon-9 rocket, the Dragon capsule will perform a series of accurate burns to close in on the ISS before docking. After being secured, the spacecraft will be pressurized, the hatch opened, and the crew boarded.

Trump & Musk on Williams’ delayed return

The extended stay of Sunita Williams has acquired a political color, with Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump joining in criticizing the Biden administration for delaying the return of the astronauts.

Trump, reacting to the incident, made comments regarding Williams in a recent address, calling her the "woman with wild hair." He added, “I hope they like each other, maybe they’ll love each other, I don’t know. But they’ve been left up there. Think of it.” He further claimed that he had "authorized Elon a week ago" to bring the astronauts home.

Musk, who has been outspoken regarding space policy and NASA operations, has also intimated frustrations with the way the situation has been handled. Nevertheless, NASA insists that mission planning and astronaut safety are still at the forefront.

As the Crew-10 mission approaches launch, everyone will be watching for the safe return of Williams and Wilmore, bringing an end to their unplanned longer space journey.

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