NASA's Crew-10 launch date and Crew-9's return date pushed to no earlier than late March 2025

ORLANDO, Fla. - NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is now targeting no earlier than late March 2025 to send four crew members to the International Space Station, the agency announced.

This delay means that the SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will return to Earth following the arrival of Crew-10.

SpaceX Crew-10 members (from left) Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Pilot Nichole Ayers of NASA, Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, and Commander Anne McClain of NASA pose for a portrait in th (Image Credit: James Blair - NASA - JSC)

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Crew-9, which launched on September 28, 2024, was originally slated to spend 10 days in space. However, after multiple delays, they were expected to return in February 2025, but this latest update now pushes their return date to late March 2025 at the earliest.

According to NASA's press release, the delay provides NASA and SpaceX teams additional time to complete work on a new Dragon spacecraft, which is scheduled to arrive at SpaceX’s Florida processing facility in early January.

"Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail," said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. "We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet and the flexibility of the station program as we work to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight."

NASA and SpaceX stated they considered alternative options, such as using a different Dragon spacecraft, but determined that waiting for the new spacecraft would best meet the program’s goals for 2025.

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The Crew-10 team includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot; JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, mission specialist; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. 

Crew-9 and the Expedition 72 team are currently conducting research and preparing for upcoming spacewalks. 

The official portrait of the International Space Station's Expedition 72 crew. At the top (from left) are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin, NASA astronaut and space station Commander Suni Williams, and NASA astronaut and Fligh (Image Credit: Imagery Group)

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Expedition 72 will conclude with the departure of NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. 

Crews typically spend about six months on the space station, though some astronauts have participated in yearlong missions to help NASA study the effects of extended space travel as it prepares for future missions to the Moon and Mars.