NASA’s Latest Commercial Crew Rotation Launches On SpaceX Dragon

On March 15 at precisely 7:03 pm, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending four astronauts up to the International Space Station (ISS). A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket did the heavy lifting, propelling the Dragon spacecraft and its four-person crew into orbit for a science-packed stay.

“Congratulations to our NASA and SpaceX teams on the 10th crew rotation mission under our commercial crew partnership,” expressed NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “This milestone demonstrates NASA’s continued commitment to advancing American leadership in space and driving growth in our national space economy.”

The Crew-10 passengers are NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. Dragon docked itself to the station’s Harmony module on March 16 at 12:05 am, allowing the crew to squeeze through the hatch and join the existing Expedition 72/73 team.

The crew was greeted by NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who were shipped to the ISS last June for what was supposed to be a 10 day stay. However, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that brought them up was deemed too unstable for a crewed return mission, forcing NASA to change course and let the ship return to Earth without the astronauts.

With some mission cuts, Wilmore and Williams will take the two now-empty seats to return home with Crew-9 astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov as early as March 19. Hague and Gorbunov were launched to the ISS on the Crew 9 Dragon on September 28, 2024. Until then, the ISS will be more crowded than usual, with 11 astronauts aboard.

As for Crew-10’s workload, they’ll be busy conducting flammability tests, engaging students through ham radio, and serving as human guinea pigs for medical studies on how space messes with the body and mind. Their findings aim to help future astronauts survive long-duration missions beyond Earth.

“Through these missions, we are laying the foundation for future exploration, from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars,” Petro continued. “Our international crew will contribute to innovative science research and technology development, delivering benefits to all humanity.”

FMI: www.nasa.gov