Four astronauts launched from Florida's Space Coast on NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station to aid Crew-9's return to Earth.
The SpaceX crew was originally scheduled to begin the mission on Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 7:48 p.m., but it was ultimately scrubbed following a hydraulic ground issue.
Instead, the crew lifted off on Friday at 7:03 p.m.
Crew-10's arrival at the ISS will pave the way for Crew-9's return to Earth, including astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck in space for nine months - dating back to June 2024.
Crew-9's return was delayed due to safety concerns regarding the Boeing Starline capsule they used for their journey. According to officials, the capsule had helium leaks and thruster issues.
Now, Crew-10 will make their way into space to aid in their return.
Who are the Crew-10 astronauts?
Nicole Ayers
Nicole Ayers, a San Diego, California, native, will make her official astronaut debut as she is set to depart on her first spaceflight. Ayers is a major in the United States Air Force and the first member of NASA's 2021 astronaut class named to a crew.
Ayers served as an instructor pilot and mission commander in the T-38 ADAIR and F-22 Raptor, leading multinational and multiservice missions worldwide.
NASA said Ayers has more than 1,400 total flight hours, including more than 200 in combat.
Kirill Peskov
Joining Ayers, Kirill Peskov will also make his first trip to the International Space Station. Before being selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, Peskov was a co-pilot on the Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft for airlines Nordwind and Ikar.
Peskov was assigned as a test cosmonaut in 2020, and he has additional experience in skydiving, zero-gravity training, scuba diving and wilderness survival.
Anne McClain
Anne McClain, hailing from Spokane, Washington, will make her second trip to space since becoming an astronaut with NASA in 2013.
During her first mission, McClain spent 204 days as a flight engineer during Expeditions 58 and 59 , and completed two spacewalks, totaling 13 hours and eight minutes.
Since then, McClain has served in various roles, including branch chief and space station assistant to the chief of NASA's Astronaut Office.
Takuya Onishi
Also returning to space for the second time is Takuya Onishi, a crew member who has been with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) since 2009.
Since becoming a JAXA astronaut in 2009, Onishi spent 113 days as a flight engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49 after launching aboard the Soyuz MS-01 mission in 2016 .
What is the forecast at time of launch?
Weather is forecasted to be excellent on the Space Coast on Friday as the current forecast is a greater-than-95% chance of acceptable conditions at launch.
What will Crew-10 do on their mission?
The members will be part of the Expedition 72 and 73 crew while on station where NASA said they will perform dozens of experiments during their several-month stay in orbit.
NASA said Crew-10 will arrive at the ISS for docking around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday where they will spend a couple of days familiarizing themselves with the station's systems.
Crew-10 will rotate roles with Crew-9, which includes NASA astronauts Nick Hague , Suni Williams , Butch Wilmore and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The Crew-9 mission, which has a separate Dragon spacecraft already docked to the ISS, will then unlock from the laboratory and return to Earth after nine months in space. Crew-9's undocking is scheduled for no earlier than Wednesday, according to NASA.
Crew-10 will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and NASA's Dragon Spacecraft. The launch is scheduled for Friday at 7:03 p.m.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest breaking news and weather alerts.