NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission is preparing for launch, with an international team of astronauts and astronauts performing an important mission to the International Space Station. As part of NASA's ongoing partnership with SpaceX, Crew-10 will conduct groundbreaking scientific research, technology demonstrations and maintenance missions aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Led by veteran astronaut Anne McClain and joined by first-time space travelers Nichole Ayers and Kirill Peskov and returning JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, the crew will test future spacecraft materials, explore alternative lunar navigation systems and study the physiological effects of space travel. Their journey will also involve cargo deliveries, crew rotations and the arrival of private space missions, ensuring low-Earth orbit remains a center for innovation and progress in human spaceflight.
Four astronauts are preparing to head to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the NASA SpaceX Crew-10 mission. Their goal is to conduct scientific research, test new technologies and maintain the orbiting laboratory.
The crew includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, as well as Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos. They will launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This mission marks the 10th time SpaceX has transported crew members to the International Space Station and the 11th manned space flight under NASA's commercial crew program.
As preparations continue, the team is working to complete key milestones for the Dragon spacecraft and prepare the previously flown Falcon 9 booster for launch. Once all system checks are completed and certified for flight, the Dragon capsule will be installed on the Falcon 9 rocket inside the SpaceX hangar. The assembled rocket will then be transported to the launch pad, where it will be stood upright for a final dry rehearsal with the crew and a static fire test before liftoff.
In 2013, McClain was selected as an astronaut by NASA for what would be her second space flight. A former U.S. Army colonel, she earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and holds master's degrees in aerospace engineering, international security and strategic studies. The Spokane, Wash., native served as an instructor pilot for the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. McClain has flown 24 rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, has more than 2,300 hours of flight experience, including more than 800 combat hours, and is a member of the U.S. Women's National Football Team. On her first spaceflight, McClain served as a flight engineer for 204 days on Expeditions 58 and 59 and completed two spacewalks totaling 13 hours and 8 minutes. Since then, she has served in a variety of roles, including division chief and space station assistant to the director of NASA's Astronaut Office.
This mission will be the first space flight for Ayers, who was selected to the NASA astronaut roster in 2021. Ayers is a major in the U.S. Air Force and the first member of NASA's 2021 astronaut class to be selected as a crew member. The Colorado native graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a minor in Russian, where he was a member of the academy's varsity volleyball team. She later earned a master's degree in computational and applied mathematics from Rice University in Houston. Ayers served as a trainer pilot and mission commander for the T-38 ADAIR and F-22 Raptor, leading multinational and multi-service missions around the world. Her total flight time exceeds 1,400 hours, including more than 200 hours of combat flying.
Crew-10 will spend 113 days in space, marking Onishi's second visit to the space station. In 2009, he was selected as an astronaut by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and participated in the 48th and 49th Expeditions as a flight engineer, becoming the first Japanese astronaut to capture the Cygnus spacecraft with a robot. He also built a new experimental environment on the Japanese experimental module "Kibo" on the space station. After his first space flight, Onishi was certified as a JAXA flight commander and led the team responsible for operating the Nozomi at the JAXA Mission Control Center in Tsukuba, Japan. He holds a bachelor's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Tokyo and was a pilot for All Nippon Airways, flying a Boeing 767 aircraft for more than 3,700 hours.
The Crew-10 mission will also be Peskov's first space flight. Before being selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, he earned an engineering degree from the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation Institute and served as a co-pilot on Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft for Nordwind and Ikar Airlines. He was appointed as a test astronaut in 2020 and has additional experience in skydiving, zero-gravity training, scuba diving and wilderness survival.
Mission overview
After liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket will propel the Dragon spacecraft toward the International Space Station at a speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour. Once in orbit, Crew-10 astronauts and SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, will oversee a series of maneuvers to guide the Dragon spacecraft into the Harmony module's forward port. The craft is designed to dock automatically, but the crew can take manual control if needed.
Upon arrival, the Expedition 72 crew of seven will welcome Crew 10 aboard the space station. There will then be a brief handover period for the Crew 10 crew to transition into their new roles while getting an update on ongoing science and maintenance efforts from the outgoing Crew 9 astronauts. Soon, NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will detach from the International Space Station and return to Earth. Before Crew 9 departs, the mission team will assess weather conditions at the designated splashdown site along the Florida coast.
Once at the space station, Crew-10 will conduct groundbreaking scientific research to advance human space exploration and benefit life on Earth. Their planning efforts include:
Testing the flammability of materials in microgravity to aid future spacecraft design
Engage students through amateur radio and inspire the next generation of explorers
Evaluating alternative lunar navigation systems using existing site hardware
Studying physiological and psychological changes in astronauts to support deep space missions
These are just a few of the more than 200 experiments and technology demonstrations Crew-10 will oversee during the mission.
During its stay, Crew-10 will also welcome a new Soyuz spacecraft carrying three additional astronauts, including NASA's Jonny Kim, while seeing off another Soyuz spacecraft, returning NASA astronaut Don Pettit. They will also assist with the arrival of several cargo resupply ships, including SpaceX’s Dragon, Roscosmos’ Progress and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus, as well as the private Axiom Mission 4 crew on a short-term visit.
Crew-10 will fly aboard SpaceX's Dragon capsule Endurance, a proven spacecraft that has previously supported the Crew-3, Crew-5 and Crew-7 missions.
The mission is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which continues to maximize the operational efficiency of the International Space Station by supporting cutting-edge research, technology development and astronaut training. For more than 24 years, astronauts have lived and worked on the International Space Station, helping to refine the skills and innovations needed for future space stations, long-duration lunar missions under the Artemis program, and eventual journeys to Mars.
Compiled from /ScitechDaily