SpaceX Crew-10 Successfully Docks At ISS: Sunita Williams & Wilmore Set To Return Soon
SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, bringing hope for the long-awaited return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stuck in orbit for months.
The space capsule, launched on Friday from Texas, arrived at the ISS at 12:05 AM EST (9:35 AM IST), after a 28.5-hour journey, while the station was about 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
The SpaceX Dragon capsule carried four astronauts: NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi from Japan’s JAXA, and Kirill Peskov from Russia’s Roscosmos.
They will spend the next few days familiarising themselves with the ISS alongside Sunita Williams and Wilmore. The crew is expected to enter the ISS at 1:05 AM EST (10:35 AM IST), where astronaut Wilmore will greet them.
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After the Dragon spacecraft docked to the Harmony module’s forward-facing port, the crew began conducting standard leak checks and pressurisation between the spacecraft and the station. Now, the hatch opening has already done.
All the hugs. 🫶
The hatch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft opened on March 16 at 1:35 a.m. ET and the members of Crew-10 entered the @Space_Station with the rest of their excited Expedition 72 crew. pic.twitter.com/mnUddqPqfr
— NASA’s Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) March 16, 2025
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS since June due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which delayed their scheduled return after their eight-day mission.
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Further delays occurred when plans for their return after Crew-9’s arrival in August were scrapped due to the lack of an emergency escape pod.
With Crew-10’s successful docking, Williams and Wilmore are now returning to Earth alongside Crew-9 members.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk confirmed that their return flight is expected to begin in the coming days. Initially scheduled for the end of March, their return was moved up after US President Donald Trump urged Musk to expedite their journey back to Earth.
Although Crew-10’s mission was initially delayed due to an issue with a ground support clamp arm on the rocket, the mission is now back on track, ensuring the long-awaited return of the astronauts is imminent.
