Sunita Williams’ return: ‘Stuck’ NASA astronauts closer to home with SpaceX Crew-10 launch — All you need to know

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is preparing for her much-awaited return to Earth as the SpaceX Crew-10 mission gears up to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday. Though many believe that she and her colleague Butch Wilmore are “stranded” in space, NASA has time and again clarified that they are not “stuck” in space.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has given the go-ahead to launch the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which will replace Crew-9. This will take the authorities closer to bringing back NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been in space for the past nine months.

If everything goes well, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth, along with astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, on March 16.

All four are part of the Crew-9 team and will return home on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after “a brief handover period” with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission. The handover period is of two days.

When will SpaceX Crew-10 launch into space?

The launch is targeted for 7:48pm ET (Wednesday) or 5:18 am IST (Thursday). The four-person crew is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They are expected to reach the International Space Station the next day.

“‘Go’ to proceed with launch! @NASA and @SpaceX leaders polled ‘go’ for the launch of #Crew10 to the @Space_Station ahead of liftoff, targeted for Wednesday, March 12, at 7:48pm ET,” NASA Commercial Crew said in an update on Tuesday.

When will Sunita Williams return?

NASA officials said earlier that Crew 9 — which includes NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov — will return only after Crew-10 is launched into space.

Once Crew-10 is aboard the ISS, they will conduct a brief handover period with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to “familiarize themselves with ongoing science and station maintenance work, which supports a safer transition of operations,” NASA said.

“Following crew handover and pending weather conditions, NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will board the Crew-9 SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and return to Earth,” NASA added.

Sunita Williams’ return date

The estimated return date for Sunita Williams and three other Crew-9 members is March 16.

The NASA official said a two-day handover period between Crew-10 and Crew-9 was required. So, if Crew-10 launches on March 12, the handover between Crew-9 and Crew-10 will take place on March 14 and 15, with Crew-9 returning on March 16.

Can Sunita Williams’ return be delayed further?

NASA said that if the conditions are not favourable for the launch of Crew-10 on March 12, backup opportunities for a launch are available on March 13 at 7:35 pm and March 14 at 7:04 pm.

In such cases, the return of Crew-9 will shift to March 17 or March 18.

Even if Crew-10 launches on time, weather conditions could still impact the return of Crew-9. 

When and where to watch Crew 10 launch?

The live coverage of the Crew-10 launch will begin at 3:45 pm EST (1:15 am IST on Thursday) on NASA+. 

You can also watch live on NASA’s X handle and Livemint.com.

When will Crew 10 reach space?

Crew-10 is expected to reach the ISS after a 14-hour flight docking at approximately 10 am EDT (7:30 pm IST) on Thursday, March 13.

Who is part of Crew-10 launch?

The four-person Crew-10 includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain (commander) and Nichole Ayers (pilot), along with mission specialists astronaut Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

Which spacecraft will Crew 10 use to reach ISS?

Crew-10 will launch aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Endurance, carried by a reused SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.