In a significant development for space exploration, the replacement crew for the International Space Station (ISS) was launched late Friday evening. This mission sets the stage for the return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been situated on the ISS for an extended period of nine months.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully lifted off at 7:03 p.m. from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Onboard the rocket were Crew-10 members: NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. This crew rotation is part of a standard six-month mission on the ISS.

Expected to arrive at the ISS around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Crew-10 will soon take over the responsibilities of their predecessors. Wilmore and Williams, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday. This timeline allows for an overlap period during which the new crew can brief their replacements.

Wilmore and Williams initially arrived on the ISS in June 2024, expecting to spend approximately 10 days in orbit. Unfortunately, their return was delayed multiple times due to mechanical issues with their spacecraft, which ultimately had to be sent back to Earth without them. Continuous technical challenges have further postponed their return.