NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are set to return to Earth in late March after eight months in space due to technical delays. They will be replaced by Crew 10, led by commander Anne McClain and pilot Nichole Ayers, along with specialists Takuya Onishi and Kirill Peskov, who will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon on March 12. The Crew 10 team will spend the final two weeks in isolation to avoid illness before joining the ISS crew. Williams and Wilmore’s return will depend on weather conditions following prior issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Nasa’s Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are set to return to Earth in late March. The two astronauts have been in space for the last eight months due to technical issues and changes to the mission schedule.
Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore will be succeeded by Crew 10 at the International Space Station (ISS) on March 12. They will come back a week later after completing a required handover process.
Members of Crew 10 include commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, and mission specialists Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos.
Prior to their scheduled launch, the astronauts will undergo “the final two weeks before launch in isolation to minimize the risk of illness before interacting with the current crew on the space station,” according to a NASA statement.
Crew 10 is scheduled to board a Dragon spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy on March 12.
The US space agency noted, “The crew is expected to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 12, aboard a Dragon spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy.”
The return date for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will also be influenced by weather conditions.
They traveled to the International Space Station’s Boeing Starliner on June 5 of last year. However, due to technical problems, including helium leaks and thruster failures, the Starliner was deemed unsafe for their return.
SpaceX created its Crew Dragon capsule with approximately $3 billion in funding from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
“Human spaceflight is filled with unforeseen challenges. Our operational flexibility is supported by the exceptional partnership between NASA and SpaceX, as well as the agility that SpaceX continues to demonstrate to meet the agency’s evolving requirements safely,” stated Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.