SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This marks the tenth crew rotation mission conducted by SpaceX for NASA under the Commercial Crew Program.
The crew is on its way to the ISS, with the docking at the Harmony module expected for Saturday 15 at 23:30 UTC.
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A highly anticipated launch
On March 14, at 23:03 UTC, the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Two and a half minutes into the flight, the Dragon capsule separated from the first stage, which landed back on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral.
Today’s launch used the booster B1090 on its second flight after delivering the SES 03b mPOWER-e mission in December 2024.
Liftoff of Crew-10! pic.twitter.com/OOLMFQgA52
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 14, 2025
The mission was launched aboard SpaceX’s Endurance spacecraft, which previously launched three NASA Crew missions. Originally, NASA and SpaceX planned to launch Crew-9 aboard C213, the last Crew Dragon built by the company.
However, the preparation of the spacecraft has encountered technical delays, thus pushing NASA and SpaceX to move the mission to the Endurance capsule. The decision was likely also influenced by political pressure from the new administration to bring the two Starliner CFT astronauts back to Earth more quickly, following controversial statements from U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk last January.
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The crew
Anne McClain is the mission commander.
An active colonel in the U.S. Army, she was selected by NASA in 2013. She holds a degree in mechanical aeronautical engineering and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Bath in England.
She is a highly experienced pilot with over 2,000 flight hours on more than 20 different aircraft.
McClain previously served as a flight engineer on Expedition 58/59 aboard the ISS.
Nichole Ayers serves as the Pilot of Crew Dragon.
Selected by NASA in 2021, she began training in January 2022. She holds a degree in mathematics from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in computational and applied mathematics from Rice University in Houston.
She has served as a U.S. Air Force flight instructor on T-38A and F-22 Raptor aircraft, conducting missions worldwide.
Ayers is the first astronaut from her class, “The Flies”, to fly into space.
Takuya Onishi, an astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is flying as Mission Specialist.
Selected in 2009, he completed training in 2011 and was officially certified as an astronaut. In 2016, he participated in the Sojuz MS-01 (Expedition 48/49) mission, spending several months aboard the ISS.
With a degree in aerospace engineering, he began his career as a ground service agent at Haneda Airport in Japan before becoming a co-pilot on Boeing 767 aircraft.
Kirill Peskov from the Russian space agency Roscosmos serves as the second mission specialist.
Selected in 2018, he completed basic training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC).
Peskov holds a degree in engineering with a specialization in Aircraft Flight Operations and has worked as a co-pilot on Boeing 757/767 aircraft.
His presence onboard a SpaceX spacecraft is part of the Soyuz-Dragon exchange system aimed at maintaining at least one NASA Astronaut and one Roscosmos Cosmonaut on each of the crew rotation missions.
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Arrival at the ISS
Upon arrival at the International Space Station, the Crew-10 members will join Expedition 73, and there will be a handover period with the Crew-9 mission, allowing for a smooth transition of operations.
Their arrival will allow the return of the NASA astronauts part of the Starliner Crew Flight Test, who have been on the ISS since June 2024 due to technical issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will return to Earth along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on the Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft. NASA is planning their departure some days after the arrival of Crew-10.
The Crew-10 mission is set to last approximately 150 days, during which the crew will conduct scientific experiments and technology demonstrations aboard the ISS.
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