SpaceX Capsule Docks at ISS, Replacing Astronauts ‘Butch & Suni’

In the early hours of Sunday, a SpaceX capsule successfully transported four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s crew transfer mission. This operation is crucial for the return of long-term station occupants Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are set to leave after spending nine months aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Approximately 29 hours after launching at 7:03 PM ET on Friday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Crew Dragon capsule docked with the ISS at 12:04 AM ET on Sunday.

The Crew-10 astronauts were greeted by the ISS crew, which includes Wilmore and Williams—both experienced NASA astronauts and retired Navy test pilots. They have remained aboard the station due to complications with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which had to be returned without passengers.

What began as a routine crew rotation has turned into a mission with heightened significance, as it facilitates the return of Wilmore and Williams to Earth—a plan that was set in motion by NASA last year and has gained urgency under President Donald Trump’s administration since he took office in January.

Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to depart the ISS on Wednesday, potentially as early as 4 AM ET, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Hague and Gorbunov traveled to the ISS in September aboard a Crew Dragon capsule, which has been moored to the station with two empty seats intended for Wilmore and Williams.

The Crew-10 team, slated to reside on the ISS for approximately six months, is composed of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

The crew transfer mission has also become a subject of political discussion, as Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk—who is the CEO of SpaceX—have called for an expedited Crew-10 launch. Both cited unsubstantiated claims that Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, had neglected Wilmore and Williams at the station for political reasons.

Despite the evolving circumstances of their mission, Wilmore and Williams have engaged in scientific research and routine maintenance alongside the other five astronauts on board.

Williams expressed her eagerness to return home to see her pets and family, stating, “It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little more so than us,” during a recent press conference.