Meet The Crew-10 Spacefarers Who Will Replace Crew-9 Team Including Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission, launched in March 2025, successfully delivered astronauts to the ISS, replacing Crew-9 members. Crew-10 will prepare for future missions beyond Earth's orbit.

NASA Crew-10: (From left) Nichole Ayers, Kirill Peskov, Anne McClain, and Takuya Onishi.

Source : NASA

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission was successfully launched on March 14, 2025, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the 10th crew rotation to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. This mission is crucial as it will replace four members of the Crew-9 team, including NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on an extended stay at the ISS due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that took them to the orbiting lab in June 2024.

After a handover procedure lasting a few days, the four-member Crew-9 team comprising NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, besides Williams and Wilmore, will return "no earlier than March 19", according to NASA.

Crew-10 will join Expedition 72/73 for a long-duration stay on the ISS, contributing to innovative research and technology development. The mission is designed to conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations that will help prepare humans for future missions beyond Earth's orbit. 

Meet The Crew-10 Spacefarers

Anne McClain (Commander): A NASA astronaut and US Army colonel, McClain is embarking on her second spaceflight. She previously spent 204 days on the ISS and completed two spacewalks. McClain holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering and has extensive experience as a pilot.

Nichole Ayers (Pilot): A major in the US Air Force, Ayers is the first member of NASA's 2021 astronaut class to be named to a crew. She has served as an instructor pilot and mission commander and has over 1,400 flight hours, including combat experience.

Takuya Onishi (Mission Specialist): A JAXA astronaut, Onishi is on his second mission to the ISS. He previously spent 113 days in space and was the first Japanese astronaut to robotically capture the Cygnus spacecraft.

Kirill Peskov (Mission Specialist): A Roscosmos cosmonaut, Peskov is on his first space flight. Before becoming a cosmonaut, he worked as a co-pilot on Boeing aircraft and has experience in skydiving, zero-gravity training, and wilderness survival.

Return Of Crew-9

After the Crew-10 astronauts arrive at the ISS, they will replace the existing crew, including Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Aleksandr Gorbunov. The Crew-9 team is expected to depart the ISS no earlier than March 19, pending favourable weather conditions for a splashdown off the coast of Florida, NASA has said.

NASA-SpaceX Crew-10 Launch Paves The Way For Return Of Sunita Williams & Barry Wilmore

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