By The Sampadak Express
NASA announced on Tuesday that it has swapped the astronaut capsule for its Crew-10 mission, opting to use a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon instead of a new one. This change will allow astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), to return to Earth earlier than expected.
The space agency is advancing the target launch and return dates for upcoming crew rotation missions to and from the ISS. The Crew-10 launch, originally scheduled for March 25, has now been moved up to March 12, pending mission readiness and flight certification, NASA confirmed.
This change comes after delays in the production of a new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, with NASA instead deciding to use an already flown capsule, named ‘Endurance.’ Teams are working to complete the spacecraft’s refurbishment, including trunk stack, propellant load, and transportation to SpaceX’s hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to be mated with the Falcon 9 rocket.
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which faced multiple technical issues, including a helium leak. Since their arrival, Williams has been in charge of the ISS. Their return is contingent upon the arrival of the Crew-10 mission, which will replace the current crew and ensure the station is staffed at normal levels.
The Crew-10 team consists of NASA astronauts Anne McClain (commander) and Nichole Ayers (pilot), Japan’s Takuya Onishi (mission specialist), and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov (mission specialist). Once they arrive, Crew-9 will complete a handover procedure before returning to Earth.
This change in schedule follows a request from US President Donald Trump last month, urging SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to bring Williams and Wilmore back as soon as possible. While NASA had already planned to accelerate their return, the announcement comes amid growing pressure.
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, acknowledged the challenges of human spaceflight, emphasizing the flexibility of NASA and SpaceX’s partnership. “Our operational flexibility is enabled by the tremendous partnership between NASA and SpaceX and the agility SpaceX continues to demonstrate to safely meet the agency’s emerging needs,” he said.
Following the Crew-10 mission’s arrival, Crew-9 will assist with ongoing science and station maintenance before preparing for the return of astronauts Williams and Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The return, however, is still dependent on favorable weather conditions for splashdown off the coast of Florida.
NASA’s decision to use the SpaceX Crew Dragon and accelerate the return of the astronauts showcases the space agency’s commitment to ensuring the safety and efficiency of human spaceflight.
