NASA astronauts closer to Earth after SpaceX crew-swap launch

Sharjah 24 – WAM: NASA and SpaceX launched a long-awaited crew to the International Space Station on Friday, paving the way for U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to finally return to Earth after being stuck on the orbital lab for nine months.

SpaceX crew-10 launch

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:03 p.m. ET (2303 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts to replace Wilmore and Williams. Both are veteran NASA astronauts and retired U.S. Navy test pilots, and were part of the initial crew that flew Boeing's faulty Starliner capsule to the ISS in June.

Crew-10 arrival and Wilmore and Williams' departure

The Crew-10 mission, launched while Wilmore and Williams were asleep, will see the new crew arrive at the ISS on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET. Wilmore and Williams, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are scheduled to depart the station on Wednesday as early as 4 a.m. ET (0800 GMT).

Crew-10 astronauts

The Crew-10 team, who will remain on the ISS for about six months, includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.