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 his much-awaited return to Earth as the SpaceX Crew-10 mission gears up to launch to the International Space Station on Wednesday. Believed by many to be “stranded” in space, NASA has time and again clarified that Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore 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 Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, on March 16.

All four are part of the Crew-9 team and will head back 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 liftoff 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 that a two-day handover period between Crew 10 and Crew 9 is required. So, for March 12 launch, the handover between Crew 9 and Crew 10 will take place on March 14 and 15, and then Crew 9 will return on March 16.

Can Sunita Williams return be delayed further?

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

That way, the return date for Crew-9 will be March 17 and March 18.

Even if Crew-10 is launched on time, weather conditions will still play a role in the return of the 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?

It is likely to be a 14-hour flight. Crew-10 will dock at the ISS at approximately 10 am EDT (7:30 pm IST), Thursday, March 13.

Who are part of Crew 10 launch?

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

Which spacecraft will Crew 10 use to reach ISS?

They will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft named Endurance.