NASA, SpaceX launching Crew-10 today to bring Sunita Williams back
What's the story
NASA and SpaceX are all set to launch the Crew-10 mission today, at 7:03pm EDT (March 15, 4:33am IST), from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday but had to be postponed due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket.
Mission details
Crew-10 mission will bring back Sunita Williams
The Crew-10 mission will return NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who have spent the last nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
They were originally scheduled for an eight-day stay but extended their time due to problems with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
Crew-10's planned launch was moved up after a request from President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX.
New arrivals
It will also bring new astronauts to ISS
Apart from bringing Williams and Wilmore back, the Crew-10 mission will also deliver a fresh set of astronauts to the ISS.
The incoming crew comprises NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA's Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos's Kirill Peskov.
This rotation is part of SpaceX's human space transportation system under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Viewing options
Live coverage of the launch will be available
You can catch live coverage of today's launch on NASA's channels, starting at 3:00pm EDT (March 15, 12:30am. IST).
The Crew-10 mission is expected to arrive at the ISS based on the planned docking schedule, targeted for March 15, 11:30pm EDT (March 16, 9:00am IST).
If everything goes as planned, Williams and Wilmore, along with Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will leave the ISS following the handover period.
Handover process
Handover period will occur once Crew-10 reaches ISS
Once Crew-10 reaches the ISS, there will be a short handover period with NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
This is to familiarize the new crew with ongoing science and station maintenance work for smoother transition of operations.
Following this two-day handover period, the outgoing crew will return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
This means, Williams and others are scheduled to leave no earlier than March 19, depending on weather conditions near Florida's splashdown sites.