NASA and SpaceX have successfully launched a mission to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS). The two astronauts have been stranded on the ISS for nine months, far exceeding their initial planned stay of about a week. Their prolonged stay was due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which they used to reach the ISS.

The Starliner experienced propulsion system problems during its initial flight, making it unsafe for the astronauts to return on it, and it later made an empty journey back to Earth in September.

The Crew-10 mission, launched on Friday, March 14, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is a crucial step in facilitating the return of Williams and Wilmore.

A Falcon 9 rocket carried a Crew Dragon capsule with four astronauts: NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russia's Kirill Peskov. These astronauts will replace Williams and Wilmore, along with two other crew members, and are expected to spend six months on the ISS conducting scientific research and maintenance tasks.

The Crew-10 mission docked at the ISS on Saturday, March 15, and the new crew will spend a few days adjusting before taking over operations. Williams and Wilmore are expected to depart the ISS on March 19, marking the end of their extended mission.

The mission has also drawn political attention, with claims from former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO, suggesting that former President Joe Biden kept the astronauts on the station for political reasons, though these claims are unsubstantiated.

ANI