A new crew of four astronauts is en route to the International Space Station (ISS) following the launch of SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission. The launch took place at 7:03 p.m. EDT on March 14 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aboard the Crew Dragon capsule Endurance, the astronauts are set to replace members of Crew-9, two of whom have been on the ISS since June due to delays with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Commanding the mission is NASA astronaut Anne McClain, with Nichole Ayers of NASA as the pilot. JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov are serving as mission specialists. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS within approximately 28 hours.
Launch Delay and Successful Liftoff
According to NASA, the mission was initially set for March 12 but was postponed due to a hydraulic issue with ground equipment. The launch occurred shortly before sunset, with the Falcon 9 rocket illuminating Florida’s Space Coast. The first stage of the rocket completed a controlled descent, landing at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone-1 five minutes after separation. The second stage continued its ascent, releasing Endurance into low Earth orbit after an additional 7.5 minutes.
Mission Objectives and Crew Rotation
As per NASA officials, Crew-10 will remain aboard the ISS for a six-month rotation, taking over operations from Crew-9. The delayed return of Crew-9 has been attributed to technical setbacks with Boeing’s Starliner, which has yet to complete its first fully operational crewed mission. Crew-10’s arrival ensures the station remains fully staffed for ongoing scientific research and maintenance. Speaking after the successful separation of the spacecraft, McClain acknowledged the efforts of teams worldwide in making the mission possible.
