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IN PHOTOS: SpaceX, NASA launch mission to return Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from ISS

SpaceX and NASA have launched a mission to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months. The launch took place at 7:03 ET on Friday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft as part of the Crew-10 mission. (Pics/PTI)

Updated On: 2025-03-15 11:31 AM IST

Compiled by : Anisha Shrivastava

(PICS/PTI) 
Alongside the retrieval of the stranded astronauts, the mission also transported four new crew members to the ISS. The new crew includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Crew-10 marks the 10th crew rotation mission under SpaceX’s human space transportation system and the 11th crewed flight to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore originally arrived at the ISS in June last year and were scheduled to return within a week.
Their extended stay on the ISS was due to technical delays, requiring NASA and SpaceX to prepare a safe return mission. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth shared a video message expressing support for the Crew-10 mission, stating that the nation was praying for the astronauts' safe return.
In his message, Hegseth referenced former President Donald Trump, who reportedly urged Elon Musk to ensure the astronauts' swift return. SpaceX has been a key partner in NASA’s human spaceflight missions, with the Crew Dragon spacecraft becoming a reliable mode of transport to and from the ISS.

The success of Crew-10 will further strengthen NASA and SpaceX’s collaboration in commercial space exploration and astronaut transport. The mission highlights the growing role of private space companies in international space missions, advancing both scientific research and human spaceflight capabilities.

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