Stranded in space: NASA and SpaceX launch daring Crew-10 mission to bring Sunita Williams home

NASA and SpaceX have successfully launched the Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to bring home NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded in space since last June due to complications with Boeing’s Starliner capsule. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule lifted off early Sunday, delivering four new crew members to the ISS and paving the way for Williams and Wilmore’s long-awaited return.

Just over a day after liftoff, the Crew Dragon capsule docked at the ISS at midnight on Sunday, completing a critical crew rotation. The newly arrived Crew-10 astronauts—Americans Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov—officially joined the station’s Expedition 72 crew after the hatch opened at 12:35 a.m. ET. Their six-month mission will continue NASA’s ongoing partnership with SpaceX, which has played a pivotal role in U.S. space operations since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

Wilmore and Williams, along with American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are scheduled to depart the ISS as early as Wednesday at 8 a.m. GMT aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that has been docked at the station since Hague and Gorbunov’s arrival in September. Two empty seats on the capsule have been reserved for Wilmore and Williams, who were originally scheduled for an eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner.

Williams and Wilmore’s extended stay stems from multiple technical failures with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which was forced to return to Earth empty due to valve malfunctions and a helium leak. A plan to bring them back with Crew-9 in August was abandoned because of the lack of an emergency escape pod, leading to further delays as Crew-10’s replacement capsule required extensive battery repairs.

The situation took an unexpected political turn when former President Donald Trump and his adviser, Elon Musk—who also serves as SpaceX’s CEO—claimed, without evidence, that the delay was politically motivated. They alleged that former President Joe Biden had abandoned the astronauts, a claim widely rejected by experts. Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who has worked with both NASA and the European Space Agency, called the accusation “a lie” and criticized the spread of misinformation.

Despite the prolonged mission, Williams and Wilmore have remained actively engaged in scientific research and station maintenance. Williams recently expressed her eagerness to return home and reunite with her family and two dogs. “It’s been a rollercoaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us,” she said.

Weather permitting, the SpaceX capsule carrying Wilmore, Williams, Hague, and Gorbunov will undock no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off Florida’s coast, concluding their unexpectedly extended mission. Until then, the ISS will temporarily host 11 crew members from the U.S., Russia, and Japan.

Wilmore and Williams’ extended stay underscores the complexities and risks involved in human spaceflight as NASA continues to refine its partnerships with commercial providers like SpaceX and Boeing. While the Starliner’s setbacks have raised questions about Boeing’s readiness for future crewed missions, the successful launch and docking of Crew-10 mark an important step toward ensuring the long-term viability of NASA’s commercial crew programme.