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SpaceX Rescue Team Arrives At Space Station
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SpaceX Rescue Team Arrives At Space Station

After spending an unexpected nine months stranded in space, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams received a surprise welcome aboard the International Space Station (ISS) when Crew-9 commander Nick Hague greeted them in an alien costume. The lighthearted moment, captured in footage shared by the ISS on X, marked the long-awaited arrival of Crew-10, who are set to finally bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth.

The new crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, arrived aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 12:04 a.m. EDT on March 16. Their mission included reuniting with Wilmore and Williams and facilitating their long-overdue return home.

The journey began two days prior when Crew-10 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:03 p.m. ET on March 14. Originally scheduled for March 12, the launch faced a brief delay due to a hydraulic issue but ultimately proceeded without further complications.

Upon docking at the ISS, the new arrivals were warmly welcomed by their fellow astronauts, with photos showing embraces between the SpaceX crew and the long-stranded pair. The crew exchange is part of a carefully planned transition period that allows for a smooth handover of responsibilities before Wilmore and Williams, alongside Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, make their long-awaited return to Earth.

NASA detailed the process in a press release, stating, “Following Dragon’s link-up to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, the crew members aboard Dragon and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft and the station in preparation for hatch opening scheduled for approximately 1:45 a.m. on Sunday.”

The arrival of Crew-10 temporarily increases the ISS’s population to 11, with the new crew joining Expedition 72, which includes Hague, Don Pettit, Wilmore, Williams, Gorbunov, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Once the handover period is complete, Crew-9 members Hague, Williams, Wilmore, and Gorbunov will finally begin their journey home.

Wilmore and Williams’ extended stay in space stemmed from mechanical issues with their original spacecraft, which was sent back to Earth for repairs without them. Initially planning to spend just 10 days aboard the ISS after arriving in June 2024, the duo instead endured an unplanned nine-month mission.

Now, with their return set in motion, Wilmore and Williams can finally look forward to stepping foot on Earth again—bringing an end to an unexpected, record-breaking mission that will no doubt be remembered in spaceflight history.

Written by Arthur Higgens - March 17, 2025