NASA and SpaceX Initiate Mission to Retrieve Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
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Synopsis
On March 15, NASA and SpaceX launched a crewed mission to the ISS to safely return astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded since June. The launch took place from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Key Takeaways
- NASA and SpaceX launched a mission to retrieve two astronauts.
- Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are returning after being stranded.
- The Dragon spacecraft is on a 28.5-hour journey.
- The launch was delayed due to a hydraulic issue.
- Presidential intervention expedited the return.
New York, March 15 (NationPress) NASA and SpaceX successfully commenced a crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday with the goal of bringing back NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded in space since last June.
The Dragon spacecraft launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 7:03 p.m. ET on Friday (4:33 am on Saturday IST).
“Have a great time in space, y'all! #Crew10 lifted off from NASA Kennedy at 7:03pm ET (2303 UTC) on Friday, March 14,” the US space agency announced via a post on social media platform X.
“Falcon 9 launches Crew-10, Dragon’s 14th human spaceflight mission to the Space Station,” SpaceX added.
The Crew-10 mission includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, as well as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov heading to the ISS.
It will take approximately 28.5 hours for the spacecraft to autonomously dock with the space station.
After the arrival of Crew-10 at the orbital laboratory, NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which comprises NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will return to Earth.
The launch was initially scheduled for March 13 but was postponed less than an hour before takeoff due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm on the rocket.
Williams and Wilmore have remained in space since last June due to technical difficulties with Boeing's Starliner, which transported them to the ISS.
Previously, the astronaut duo was expected to return to Earth by the end of March, but their return was expedited following a request from US President Donald Trump to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to bring them back sooner.
