NASA's Sunita Williams hands over ISS command to Russian cosmonaut
What's the story
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has officially handed over the command of the International Space Station (ISS) to Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin.
The transition in leadership between NASA and Roscosmos marks a crucial moment in the station's operations.
Notably, the change comes just days before Williams is set to board the SpaceX Dragon for her return journey back to Earth.
Appreciation
Williams expresses gratitude during command handover
During the command handover ceremony, Williams took a moment to express her gratitude.
She thanked everyone who played a role in supporting her mission, including control centers, friends, family, trainers, and all those who contributed to her preparation for spaceflight.
Her leadership has been instrumental in maintaining the station's operations throughout her tenure.
Mission
SpaceX Crew-10 mission to bring new crew
Williams is now gearing up for her return trip to Earth, along with fellow NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Their departure is dependent on the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which is scheduled to launch on March 12.
After Crew-10 reaches the ISS, a week-long handover process will begin before Williams and her crewmates leave on March 19.
List
These are the new crew members
The Crew-10 team consists of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Once they enter the ISS, they will be the new Expedition 72 crew members.
Ovchinin will continue staying in space until mid-April, working with Flight Engineers Don Pettit from NASA and Ivan Vagner from Roscosmos.