On March 12, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is scheduled to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four new astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission will also play an instrumental role in returning two astronauts to Earth who have been stranded on the ISS since September last year.
Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams, have been stranded on the ISS since Sept. 3, 2024, the date they were originally scheduled to make their return trip home.
Delays with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft — which was the craft intended to bring them home — are being blamed for stranding the two astronauts.
This spacecraft was plagued with technical issues. In addition, delays with its development and testing prevented it from being ready for their return.
Both astronauts are reported to be in good health and have been carrying out their duties aboard the ISS. Their duties have included scientific research, maintenance work, and assisting with operating the 26-year-old station.
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In a recent interview with CBS news, Williams stated, “I don’t think I’m abandoned. I don’t think we’re stuck up here. We’ve got food. We’ve got clothes. We have a ride home in case anything really bad does happen to the International Space Station.”
Stranded due to ‘political considerations’
SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, has previously said that he had offered to rescue the stranded astronauts earlier, however his offers to do so were rejected by the then Biden administration due to “political considerations.”
Musk said he believes the Biden administration rejected his offers because they didn’t want to see someone associated with Donald Trump’s political campaign to be seen in a good light.
Musk, who personally donated over $280 million to the Trump presidential campaign, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an interview that the Biden administration believed bringing the astronauts back would have made Trump “look good” and that Biden “didn’t want the publicity” so close to the election.
On March 4, during an in-orbit press conference and after nearly six months aboard the station, Wilmore appeared to agree with Musk’s assessment, saying, “I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual … I believe him.”
However, Wilmore also admitted that he had no knowledge of any behind the scenes conversations regarding his rescue.
“We have no information on that, though, whatsoever. What was offered, what was not offered, who it was offered to, how that process went. That’s information that we simply don’t have,” he said.
“All of us have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk, and obviously, respect and admiration for our president of the United States, Donald Trump. We appreciate them. We appreciate all that they do for us, for human space flight, for our nation,” Williams said.
The ISS’s new crew
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will be used to to carry four new astronauts to the ISS including Commander Anne McClain a NASA astronaut on her second spaceflight; Pilot Nichole Ayers, another NASA astronaut making her first journey; Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi, an astronaut from Japan and Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov, a cosmonaut from Russia’s Roscosmos space agency.
This crew will replace the current ISS crew, including the stranded Wilmore and Williams.
The new crew will pick up where the old crew left off, conducting scientific research, providing technology demonstrations, maintaining the station and engaging in educational outreach.
Commander McClain, a West Point graduate and Iraq war veteran served as a flight engineer on the ISS from 2018 to 2019.
Her first trip was marred by controversy after her estranged wife falsely accused her of hacking into her bank account from the ISS. McClain’s former partner was subsequently charged by federal authorities with making false statements.
The sole Russian crew member, Kirill Peskov, is an experienced test pilot who has served as a pilot for the Russian Air Force, with an expertise in high-performance aircraft.
As Mission Specialist he will be involved in a variety of tasks, including scientific research, technology demonstrations, and general maintenance.
Takuya Onishi, who is representing the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is also a pilot however not in the military but as a commercial airline pilot.
He has worked for a number of years in various roles related to space exploration.
This will be his second space flight. He was previously a member of the Crew-6 mission which launched in 2021.
At that time his work involved studying the effects of space on the human body, as well as conducting experiments related to space technologies.
Nichole Ayers, an United States Air Force officer, has had a distinguished career as a fighter pilot. She was selected for the space program in 2021 based on her extensive background in aviation.
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