Two from NASA, one Japanese, and one Russian: Meet the new crew heading to the ISS to bring back Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore

NASA and SpaceX on Friday launched a long-awaited crew to the International Space Station that will let them bring home U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the orbital lab for nine months.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission lifted off at 7:03 p.m. EDT on Friday from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

Also Read: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore nightmare may not end even after returning to Earth

The Crew-10 team will spend approximately six months aboard the station. The crew members include NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

As their mission mascot, the astronauts selected a crocheted origami crane—a symbol of unity. Highlighting the crew's international diversity, McClain expressed their shared vision:

"Crew-10 chooses to go together in peace because you cannot be great without the greatness of others," she said.

Meet the Crew-10 Astronauts

Anne McClain (NASA)
Second spaceflight
Previously spent 204 days in space as a flight engineer for Expeditions 58 and 59
Completed two spacewalks, totaling 13 hours and 8 minutes
Former branch chief and space station assistant at NASA’s Astronaut Office
Born in Spokane, Washington

Nichole Ayers (NASA)
First spaceflight
A U.S. Air Force major, she is the first member of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class assigned to a mission
Former instructor pilot and mission commander for the T-38 ADAIR and F-22 Raptor
Logged 1,400+ flight hours, including 200+ in combat
Born in San Diego, California; resides in Colorado Springs

Takuya Onishi (JAXA)
Second spaceflight
Spent 113 days in space as a flight engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49
Previously launched aboard Soyuz MS-01 in 2016
Joined JAXA in 2009

Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos)
First spaceflight
Former Boeing 757 and 767 co-pilot for Nordwind and Ikar airlines
Selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, later assigned as a test cosmonaut in 2020
Experienced in skydiving, zero-gravity training, scuba diving, and wilderness survival