SpaceX Crew-10 Astronauts Set to Arrive at ISS Tonight, Paving Way for Crew Swap

Saturday, March 15, 2025 | Chimniii Desk

Tonight, space enthusiasts and mission teams alike will turn their eyes to the skies as SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) at approximately 11:30 p.m. EDT (03:30 GMT on 3/17/2025). Launched on 3/14/2025 at 7:03 p.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance is carrying four astronauts from three nations on a journey that marks the tenth crew rotation under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program with SpaceX. The arrival, broadcast live by NASA starting at 9:45 p.m. EDT, promises to be a pivotal moment in the ongoing saga of ISS operations.

Aboard Endurance are NASA astronauts Anne McClain (commander) and Nichole Ayers (pilot), alongside mission specialists Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos. The quartet’s 28.5-hour trek through orbit culminates tonight as their spacecraft autonomously aligns with the ISS’s Harmony module. Once docked, the crew will open hatches around 1:05 a.m. EDT on 3/17/2025, followed by a welcome ceremony at approximately 1:40 a.m. EDT, joining Expedition 72/73 for a six-month stint of science and station maintenance.

“This is a testament to international cooperation and the resilience of our teams,” said NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro in a statement following the launch. “Crew-10’s arrival ensures we maintain a robust presence in low Earth orbit while pushing the boundaries of discovery.” The mission’s zero-gravity indicator—a crocheted origami crane named “Droog” (Russian for “friend”)—has already captured attention, symbolizing the unity of this diverse crew with its U.S., Japanese, and Russian flags adorning its tail.

The launch on Friday wasn’t without its challenges. A hydraulic issue with a ground support clamp arm scrubbed an earlier attempt on 3/12/2025, but SpaceX engineers swiftly resolved the problem, flushing an air pocket from the system to secure a successful liftoff two days later on 3/14/2025. The Falcon 9 booster, after propelling Endurance into orbit, landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic, adding another notch to SpaceX’s reusable rocket legacy.

Tonight’s docking is more than a routine arrival—it’s a critical step in a crew swap that will bring NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth after an unexpectedly extended stay. Launched on 6/5/2024 on Boeing’s Starliner for what was meant to be a 10-day test flight, Williams and Wilmore faced thruster issues that left their capsule unfit for a crewed return. NASA opted to keep them aboard the ISS, integrating them into the Crew-9 mission, which arrived on 9/28/2024. With Crew-10’s arrival, the station’s population will briefly swell to 11, including Crew-9’s Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, alongside Expedition 72’s Don Pettit, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner.

The handover period, shortened to just a few days to conserve resources, will see Williams, Wilmore, Hague, and Gorbunov depart no earlier than 3/19/2025 aboard the Crew-9 Dragon Freedom. Their splashdown off Florida’s coast will cap a saga that sparked political debate, with figures like Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump claiming the astronauts were “stranded” under the Biden administration—a narrative Williams and Wilmore have firmly rejected. “We’re prepared and committed, not stuck,” Wilmore told CNN last month, aiming to shift the focus to their contributions aboard the ISS.

For viewers, NASA’s live coverage on NASA+ and Space.com offers a front-row seat to tonight’s events, from rendezvous to the heartfelt welcome ceremony. Social media is abuzz with anticipation, with fans praising the mission’s symbolic crane and the promise of new science. Crew-10’s agenda includes material flammability tests, student outreach via ham radio, and physiological studies to inform deep-space missions—work that builds on the ISS’s 24-year legacy.

As Endurance approaches the orbiting lab tonight, traveling at 17,500 miles per hour, it carries not just astronauts but a vision of exploration that transcends borders. For McClain, who remarked from orbit, “Spaceflight is tough, but humans are tougher,” this arrival is a milestone in a journey that’s only beginning.