Crew-10 Mission Heads to ISS; Set to Bring Back Stranded Sunita Williams and Barry

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New Delhi, MAr 15, 2025: The Crew-10 mission, a joint effort by NASA and SpaceX, is en route to the International Space Station (ISS) for a routine crew rotation and to bring back stranded U.S. astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore.

The mission is set to reach a critical milestone on Sunday, March 16, with the Crew Dragon spacecraft scheduled for “rendezvous, docking, and hatch opening.” According to NASA, docking is planned for 11:30 p.m. EDT (9:00 a.m. IST), followed by the hatch opening at 1:05 a.m. EDT (10:35 a.m. IST).

The Crew-10 astronauts will officially join the ISS crew after their arrival, while the outgoing Crew-9 members will deliver farewell remarks at 1:40 a.m. EDT (11:10 a.m. IST).

The mission launched successfully on Friday, with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon capsule lifting off at 7:00 p.m. New York time (4:30 a.m. IST on Saturday) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 10 minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft separated from the rocket’s upper stage, and SpaceX confirmed the crew’s safe trajectory toward the ISS.

The Crew-10 mission will allow Williams and Wilmore, who have been awaiting their return aboard the ISS, to finally journey back to Earth. The operation highlights the precision of modern spaceflight, where a “rendezvous” ensures spacecraft meet in orbit before completing a physical “docking” connection.