SpaceX Crew-10 Astronauts Prepare for Return to Earth with Live Coverage

Today, astronauts from SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere after nearly five months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their spacecraft, named Endurance, is set to land in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast at 11:33 a.m. EDT (15:33 GMT). Fans can watch the event live, either through NASA’s coverage or directly on Space.com, with broadcast beginning at 10:15 a.m. EDT (14:15 GMT).

As the tenth operational crewed mission in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-10’s crew members included NASA astronauts Anne McClain (commander) and Nichole Ayers (pilot), JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos’ Kirill Peskov. The team launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on March 14 and arrived at the ISS two days later, where they participated in scientific studies related to human health in space, blood flow, and lunar navigation techniques.

During their stay, the crew conducted experiments on space-induced physical and mental changes, among other research endeavors. The astronauts expressed gratitude and reflected on their experience during a farewell ceremony earlier this week, highlighting the camaraderie and memorable moments they shared.

The capsule undocked on August 8 and began its journey back to Earth. Notably, this marks SpaceX’s first reentry into the Pacific Ocean for a Commercial Crew mission, as previous landings typically occurred along the Florida coast. The shift was made to reduce space debris risks, with recent missions, such as Axiom 4 and Fram2, also opting for Pacific landings.

This mission was the first spaceflight for crew members Ayers and Peskov, while McClain and Onishi have flown before. Onishi previously commanded the current Expedition 73 onboard the ISS until this week when command transitioned to Sergey Ryzhikov.