Overview

• NASA's Crew 10 mission launched Friday from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket after resolving a ground system issue that delayed the initial Wednesday launch.
• Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been on the International Space Station since June, far beyond their planned eight-day mission due to propulsion failures in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
• The two astronauts are expected to return to Earth as early as Wednesday aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, following a brief handover with the newly arrived Crew 10 team.
• The situation has drawn political attention, with President Donald Trump accusing former President Joe Biden of neglecting the stranded astronauts, while Elon Musk, now a Trump advisor, criticized NASA's handling of the rescue timeline.
• The new Crew 10 team includes American, Japanese, and Russian astronauts, continuing collaborative space efforts despite geopolitical tensions such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.