SpaceX and NASA have successfully launched a mission to bring back US astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS), where they have been stranded for nine months.
The lift-off took place at 7:03 ET on Friday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft as part of the Crew-10 mission.
The mission also transported four new crew members to the ISS: NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Crew-10 marks the 10th crew rotation mission under SpaceX’s human space transportation system and the 11th crewed flight to the ISS through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, including the Demo-2 test flight.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore originally reached the ISS in June last year and were scheduled to return after a short stay of about a week. However, their return was delayed, extending their mission to nine months.
Ahead of the launch, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared a video message expressing support for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10, Fox News reported.
In a video posted on X, Hegseth stated, “I just want to take a brief moment to say we are praying for you.” He added, “We wish you Godspeed, and we look forward to welcoming you all home soon.”
“President Trump said to Elon Musk, ‘Get the astronauts home and do it now’—and they’re responding,” Hegseth remarked.
“And they’re bringing NASA astronauts, [who] also happen to be retired US Navy Capt. Butch Wilmore and retired US Navy Capt. Suni Williams, home,” he added, as reported by Fox News.
