SpaceX mission clears path for return of stranded astronauts

Saturday 15 March 2025 - 10:10

By: Zahouani Ilham

SpaceX mission clears path for return of stranded astronauts

After spending over nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), two astronauts are finally on track to return home following the successful launch of a replacement crew.

On Friday, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 7:03 p.m. (2303 GMT), transporting a four-member team to the ISS. "We celebrate the countless individuals all over the world that have made this journey possible," said astronaut Nichole Ayers, the designated pilot of the Crew-10 mission, just before liftoff.

Their arrival is particularly significant as it allows NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to finally leave the station. The two former U.S. Navy pilots had been stranded since June after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which was supposed to bring them home, encountered propulsion failures and was deemed unsafe for reentry.

Starliner ultimately returned to Earth uncrewed, leaving Wilmore and Williams to extend their mission far beyond the typical six-month rotation. While their unexpected stay has sparked public interest and sympathy, it is still well below space endurance records, including the 371-day mission of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio in 2023 and the 437-day record set by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on the Mir space station.

A Political Controversy

The situation has taken on a political dimension, with former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accusing President Joe Biden of deliberately abandoning the astronauts. These claims, however, have been widely dismissed by the space community, especially as the return plan had been in place since Crew-9’s arrival in September. This mission flew with only two astronauts instead of four to accommodate Wilmore and Williams on their return trip.

Tensions escalated when Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen clarified the situation on social media, prompting Musk to respond with offensive remarks. Meanwhile, Trump fueled further controversy with his remarks about Williams, referring to her as "the woman with the wild hair" and joking about the astronauts’ prolonged stay together.

The Crew-10 spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, after which Crew-9 will begin preparations for departure. Wilmore and Williams, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are expected to return to Earth no earlier than March 19.

Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, the ISS remains a rare area of cooperation between the United States and Russia, with both nations continuing to send astronauts aboard each other’s spacecraft. The Crew-10 team includes NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. Their mission will focus on scientific research, including spacecraft safety testing and studies on how space travel affects the human body.