NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are set to return to Earth after an extended nine-month mission aboard the ISS, facilitated by the successful launch of SpaceX Crew-10. Originally part of a shorter Boeing Starliner test flight,

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission, launched in March 2025, successfully delivered astronauts to the ISS, replacing Crew-9 members. Crew-10 will prepare for future missions beyond Earth's orbit.

The team, which includes NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russia's Kirill Peskov, took off from Kennedy Space Center in a SpaceX capsule early this morning. They will arrive at the ISS tomorrow. This mission will pave the way for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams's return after a nine-month stay in space.