NASA has rescheduled the Crew-10 launch to March 12, advancing the mission by two weeks. This adjustment aims to facilitate the return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose stay on the International Space Station (ISS) was prolonged due to issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
Originally intended for a brief stay, Wilmore and Williams have been on the ISS for over eight months. NASA decided to utilize a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for their return after Starliner encountered thruster problems during its test flight. The Crew-10 mission will transport NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to the ISS.
Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will accompany Wilmore and Williams on their return journey aboard the SpaceX Dragon. The decision to expedite the launch involved using a previously flown Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, to reduce processing time. This adjustment reflects the collaboration between NASA and SpaceX to address unforeseen challenges in human spaceflight.