In a major triumph for American space exploration, the SpaceX Crew-10 mission triumphantly docked with the International Space Station (ISS) early Sunday morning. This mission proudly delivered four astronauts to the ISS: NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos’ Kirill Peskov.
Let’s commend SpaceX, as this mission marks the 10th crew rotation accomplished by their Dragon spacecraft under NASA’s distinguished Commercial Crew Program. For more details, refer to the NASA Press Release.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the orbiting complex at 12:04 a.m. EDT, while the station was roughly 260 statute miles over the Atlantic Ocean.
Following the successful docking of Dragon to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, crew members are conducting standard leak checks and pressurization procedures in anticipation of the hatch opening, which is scheduled around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday.
Our Crew-10 is set to join the valiant Expedition 72 crew, which includes NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Don Petitt, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner. This collaboration will briefly raise the space station’s crew count to 11 before the Crew-9 team returns to Earth following a seamless handover period.
All the hugs.
— NASA’s Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson)
March 16, 2025
The heartwarming arrival of Crew-10 paves the way for the long-awaited return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who’ve been stationed at the ISS since June 2024 due to unforeseen technical hurdles with their initial return vehicle.
After what began as an ambitious eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner morphed into a nine-month odyssey, our American heroes stranded in space are finally set to return later this week via an alternative SpaceX capsule.
This ordeal brought to light claims by NASA astronauts that Joe Biden left them in space for ulterior political motives.
Barry Wilmore and his colleague, Sunita Williams, have been on the ISS since July last year, stranded due to technical challenges with Boeing’s Starliner.
In a virtual press conference earlier this month, Wilmore was asked about Elon Musk’s assertion that Joe Biden declined his generous offer to retrieve them on a SpaceX flight months ago for political reasons.
Wilmore did not mince words in his response:
I can only say that Mr Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual.
He further expressed his and his partner’s utmost appreciation for Musk and former President Donald Trump:
I can tell you, at the outset, all of us have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk, and obviously respect and admiration for our President of the United States, Donald Trump.
These astronauts uphold the values of respect and admiration for our national leaders, emphasizing the importance of the political system and standing firmly behind our nation’s governance. They remain committed to supporting America and its leadership, recognizing the critical role of politics in our lives.
