NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the next ISS crew-rotation mission, Crew-10. The 10th operational crewed mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Endurance is carrying a crew of four NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos astronauts to the orbiting laboratory for a six-month stay as part of Expedition 72/73.
Falcon 9 lifted off from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, March 14, at 7:03 PM EDT (23:03 UTC) after a scrub on Wednesday. The March 12 launch attempt was scrubbed at approximately T-44:00 minutes after teams noted an issue with the hydraulics on ground support systems at LC-39A. SpaceX closeout crews returned to the pad following the scrub to safely assist the four astronauts in egressing Endurance.
Following launch and stage separation, the first stage booster returned to land safely at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station while the second stage sends Endurance and its crew continued on a trajectory to send the Crew Dragon to a rendezvous with the ISS.
Crew-10’s astronauts and mission
Launching onboard Endurance for a six-month stay aboard the ISS is a collection of American, Japanese, and Russian astronauts. NASA astronaut Anne McClain is serving as Crew-10’s commander. From Spokane, Washington, McClain served as a Colonel in the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2013, when she was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate for the agency’s 21st astronaut group. Crew-10 is McClain’s second flight to space and the International Space Station (ISS). She previously flew to the Station on the Soyuz MS-11 mission in December 2018 as part of Expedition 58/59. In total, McClain has logged 203 days, 15 hours, and 16 minutes in space before Crew-10’s launch.
Crew-10’s pilot is NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers. The Colorado Springs and Divide, Colorado, native made her first flight to space on Crew-10. Ayers graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2011 with a degree in mathematics and served as a Major in the U.S. Air Force before being selected to join NASA’s Astronaut Group 23 in 2021. After two years of astronaut training, Ayers was assigned to Crew-10 in August 2024, becoming the first astronaut from Group 23 to earn an assignment.
Nichole Ayers (left) and Anne McClain (right) during Dragon training. (Credit: SpaceX)
Joining McClain and Ayers as a mission specialist is Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi. Born in Nerima, Japan, Onishi earned an aeronautical and space engineering degree from the University of Tokyo and was a co-pilot of Boeing 767 airplanes from 2003 to 2009. Onishi flew to space for the second time on Crew-10, having previously flown to the ISS aboard Soyuz MS-01 in 2016 as part of Expedition 48/49. JAXA and NASA selected Onishi for NASA’s 20th astronaut group in 2009.
Serving as a mission specialist alongside Onishi is Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. Born in Kyzyl, Russia, Peskov graduated from the Ulyanovsk Higher Civil Aviation School as an engineer and was first officer for Ikar Airlines from 2013 to 2018. In 2017, Peskov applied to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center’s cosmonaut recruitment program and was selected as a cosmonaut candidate for Roscosmos’ 17th Cosmonaut Group in August 2018. Crew-10 marked Peskov’s first flight to space, having previously served as a backup cosmonaut for Crew-9 pilot Aleksandr Gorbunov.
After launch and docking with the ISS, the crew will be welcomed by the current seven-member crew of Expedition 72, which is comprised of astronauts from the Crew-9, Boeing Crew Flight Test, and Soyuz MS-26 missions. Crew-9 will depart from the ISS on March 16 with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Furthermore, Soyuz MS-26 will depart in April 2025 with Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksy Ovichinin, Ivan Vagner, and NASA astronaut Donald Pettit.
The four Crew-10 astronauts suited up and seated within Endurance during a dress rehearsal. (Credit: SpaceX)
Once accustomed to their new home, the Crew-10 astronauts will begin conducting new research and experiments on the ISS. In total, the crew is expected to perform over 200 experiments and demonstrations during their six-month stay. Among these experiments and demonstrations are a material flammability experiment, research into microgravity’s effects on the human body, in-space communication and navigation tests, and more.
During their stay, the crew will also welcome several new astronauts and cosmonauts to the ISS. In early April, the Soyuz MS-27 mission will launch two Russian cosmonauts and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim to the Station. Crew Dragon C213 will launch four private astronauts to the Station in May on the private Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) mission. Moreover, several cargo resupply missions will launch to the ISS during Crew-10’s stay.
The spacecraft of Crew-10
SpaceX supplies the rocket and capsule for the Crew-10 mission as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). This mission served as the 12th human spaceflight mission under the CCP, the 10th operational crew mission, and the 16th crewed mission for SpaceX and Crew Dragon.
SpaceX’s partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket launched the crew to the ISS. Currently flying in its “Block 5” configuration, Falcon 9 flew for the first time in June 2010 and has since launched 459 missions to low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond before Crew-10 launched.
Falcon 9 and Endurance atop LC-39A. (Credit: SpaceX)
A two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle, Falcon 9 stands 69.8 m tall and 3.7 m wide. The reusable first-stage booster features nine Merlin engines that produce 7,600 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust at liftoff. The first stage booster also features four landing legs and four grid fins for recovery. The Falcon 9 second stage features a single, vacuum-optimized Merlin engine that produces 934 kN of thrust. Both stages utilize liquid oxygen (LOX) and highly refined kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.
Falcon booster B1090 served as the first stage booster for this mission. B1090 flew the second time on Crew-10 and is the second-youngest active booster in SpaceX’s fleet. The booster previously flew the O3b mPOWER 7&8 mission in December 2024, and, after Crew-10’s launch, gives the booster a turnaround time of 87 days.
Crew Dragon C210 Endurance serves as the capsule for Crew-10. Endurance is flying to the ISS for the fourth time during Crew-10, previously flying the Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions for NASA. The capsule was named by the astronauts of Crew-3, as the first crews to fly in each Crew Dragon capsule are given the honor of naming it. Endurance landed in the Gulf of Mexico following the Crew-7 mission on March 12, 2024, giving it a turnaround time of 567 days before Crew-10’s launch.
Endurance arrives at LC-39A for integration and launch. (Credit: SpaceX)
Interestingly, Endurance was not initially assigned to Crew-10. SpaceX’s fifth and likely final Crew Dragon, the currently unnamed Crew Dragon C213, was scheduled to serve as the capsule for the mission. However, due to issues with testing and final integration on C213, SpaceX and NASA opted to swap the capsule with Endurance to avoid delays to Crew-10, which had already been delayed to March from its original launch date in February. C213 is now expected to take its maiden flight on the Ax-4 mission in May, with SpaceX teams aiming to have the capsule ready to fly by late April.
Crew-10 launch and docking timeline
Crew-10 launched from the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Of SpaceX’s 16 human spaceflight missions, 15 have launched from LC-39A, as well as many Space Shuttle and Apollo missions. Liftoff of Crew-10 took place on Friday, March 14, 2025 at 7:03 PM EDT (01:03 UTC).
SpaceX rolled Falcon 9 and Endurance to LC-39A for the first time on March 9, with the rocket going vertical on the pad shortly after. Later that day, NASA, SpaceX, and the crew completed a full dress rehearsal of launch day activities on March 9, which ultimately culminated in the successful static fire of Falcon 9 that evening.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 10, 2025
On launch day, the launch countdown began with crew suit-up at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building (O&C), which is located several miles south of LC-39A. After crew walkout, a convoy of Teslas departed the O&C and drive to LC-39A. Once at the pad, the crew and the supporting closeout crew scaled the Fixed Service Structure tower and walked across the crew access arm to begin crew ingress procedures.
Crew ingress was completed by T-2:35:00 hours, with hatch closure coming 40 minutes later at T-1:55:00 hours. Closeout teams performed final checks on Endurance before returning to the ground and leaving LC-39A.
At T-45:00 minutes, SpaceX’s Launch Director verified that Falcon 9 was “go” for propellant loading. After the “go” was given, teams retracted the crew access arm at T-42:00 minutes and armed Endurance’s launch escape system at T-39:00 minutes. At this point in the countdown, if an emergency that prevented crew egress were to occur, Endurance’s launch escape system would have been activated, safely flying the crew away from the pad.
Close-up of Crew Dragon C210 Endurance atop Falcon 9. (Credit: SpaceX)
Falcon 9 utilizes super-chilled cryogenic propellants, and to ensure the propellants don’t boil off during pre-launch activities like crew ingress, SpaceX began fueling Falcon 9 closer to launch than previous crewed launch vehicles. First stage LOX loading and RP-1 loading on both stages began at T-35:00 minutes. At T-16:00 minutes, second stage LOX loading began.
T-07:00 minutes saw first-stage engine chill begin, wherein small amounts of the cryogenic propellants flow through the first-stage engines. Performing engine chill before launch ensures the nine first-stage engines aren’t subjected to intense thermal shock during ignition. At T-05:00 minutes, Endurance transitioned to internal power.
Propellant loading on Falcon 9 completed at T-02:00 minutes, and Falcon 9 began to transfer to internal power. At T-01:00 minute, Falcon 9’s flight computer began its final prelaunch checks and pressurized its propellant tanks to flight pressures. Finally, at T-00:45 seconds, with no propellant loading or range issues, the SpaceX Launch Director gave the final “go” for launch.
Falcon 9 ignited its nine first-stage engines at T-00:03 seconds, and, at T0, Falcon 9, Endurance, and Crew-10 lifted off from LC-39A.
Falcon 9 launches Crew Dragon from LC-39A on the Ax-3 mission. (Credit: Sawyer Rosenstein for NSF)
At T+00:58 seconds into flight, Falcon 9 and Crew-10 experienced maximum aerodynamic pressure (Max Q), or the moment at which aerodynamic and structural loads are greatest on the vehicle. After a nominal ascent through Max Q, booster B1090 and the Falcon 9 second stage separated at T+02:29 minutes. B1090 performed its boostback, entry, and landing burns, ultimately culminating in a successful landing at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) a few miles south of LC-39A at T+07:39 minutes.
While the booster returned to Earth, the second stage and Endurance continued their push to orbit. The vacuum-optimized Merlin continued for another eight minutes, finally shutting down at T+08:58 minutes, at which point Endurance and its crew were officially on orbit.
Endurance separated from the second stage one minute later and began its coast phase to the ISS. At T+10:46 minutes, Endurance‘s nosecone began a nominal opening, exposing its docking port and hatch to the vacuum of space.
Crew Dragon C206 Endeavour approaches the ISS for docking. (Credit: NASA)
Crew-10 will spend the following eight hours coasting to and rendezvousing with the ISS. At T+08:34:00 hours, Endurance will begin its docking sequence with the approach initiation burn, performed when Endurance is approximately 7.5 km from the Station. The capsule and its crew will then begin to approach the ISS slowly.
The final “go”/”no-go” for docking will be given at T+10:04:04 hours, with contact and capture expected seven minutes later at T+10:11:04 hours. After final docking procedures and checkouts, docking will officially complete at T+10:24:04 hours, and the Expedition 73 and Crew-10 crews will begin working to open the hatch and welcome the four members of Crew-10 to the ISS.
(Lead image: Falcon 9 and Endurance launching on Crew-10. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
