SpaceX, NASA launch mission to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore from ISS

SpaceX and NASA have launched a mission to bring back US astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS), where they have been stranded for nine months.

The lift-off took place at 7:03 ET on Friday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission.

The mission also launched four crew members to the ISS: NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to the International Space Station.

Crew-10 is the 10th crew rotation mission under SpaceX’s human space transportation system and the 11th flight with a crew aboard to the ISS station through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, including the Demo-2 test flight.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS for nine months after reaching there in June last year. They were supposed to stay there for about a week.

Ahead of the launch, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth shared a video message expressing support for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10, Fox News reported.

In a video posted on X, Hegseth stated, “I just want to take a brief moment to say we are praying for you.” He added, “We wish you Godspeed, and we look forward to welcoming you all home soon.”

“President Trump said to Elon Musk, ‘get the astronauts home and do it now’ – and they’re responding,” Hegseth said.

“And they’re bringing NASA astronauts, [who] also happen to be retired US Navy Capt. Butch Wilmore and retired US Navy Capt. Suni Williams, home,” he added, as reported by Fox News.