US just completed 'Step 1' of bringing Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore back to Earth: What was it?

A SpaceX capsule has successfully delivered four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), setting the stage for the long-awaited return of two Nasa astronauts– Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams.

The two have been stuck in orbit for nine months– far longer than planned– due to technical failures with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which was returned to Earth empty last year following safety concerns.

The Crew-10 mission, launched from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, docked with the ISS at 12:04 am ET (0404 GMT) on Sunday (March 16) after a 29-hour journey.

Crew-10’s arrival marks a key first step in finally bringing Wilmore and Williams home. The two astronauts are set to depart the ISS on Wednesday (March 19) at around 4 am ET (0800 GMT) aboard another SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, alongside Nasa’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

The crew was greeted by the station’s current seven-member team.

Political back-and-forth 

Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams’ prolonged stay in orbit had become a political talking point, with President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accusing the previous Biden administration—without evidence— of deliberately leaving the astronauts stranded for political reasons.

The claims were widely dismissed by Nasa officials, who maintained that their extended mission was simply the result of the Starliner’s technical failures and Nasa’s cautious approach to ensuring astronaut safety.

The new Crew-10 team, who will remain on the ISS for approximately six months, includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

Sunita Williams eager to go home

Wilmore and Williams, meanwhile, have spent their extended time in orbit conducting scientific experiments and routine maintenance alongside their colleagues.

Sunita Williams recently told reporters that she was eager to return home to see her family and two dogs. “It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us,” she said.

With inputs from agencies