Houston, TX – August 7, 2024 – SpaceX successfully delivered a relief crew, designated Crew-11, to the international Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, August 2nd, allowing Crew-10 to begin their return journey to Earth after a four-month mission. The handover marks a continuation of NASA’s reliance on SpaceX for crew transportation, a partnership vital to maintaining a continuous U.S. presence in low Earth orbit.
Crew-10, launched on March 14th atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, comprised NASA astronauts Anne McClain (commander) and Nichole Ayers (pilot), along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos. The crew arrived at the ISS on March 16th, initiating a series of scientific experiments and maintenance tasks.
The incoming Crew-11 astronauts will continue the ongoing research aboard the ISS, which includes studies in biology, biotechnology, human physiology, and Earth observation. The ISS serves as a unique microgravity laboratory, enabling research impossible to conduct on Earth. Currently, the ISS orbits Earth at an average altitude of 250 miles (400 kilometers) and travels at approximately 17,500 miles per hour, completing one orbit every 90 minutes.
Prior to departure, Crew-10 participated in a farewell ceremony on August 5th, expressing gratitude to the ground support teams and reflecting on their experience representing humanity in space. “Crew-10 has had the absolute privilege of working here for the last four months, and we have so much gratitude for all of the ground teams that showed up every day to make this possible,” stated mcclain during the ceremony. She further emphasized the importance of international collaboration, adding, “We truly are very humbled to represent humanity, and we hope that we can be a reminder to others of the goodness of humanity and what we really can accomplish when we work together.”
Crew-10 is expected to return to Earth in a spacex Dragon capsule,splashing down off the coast of Florida. The exact date of their return is dependent on weather conditions and operational readiness. The ISS program is a collaborative effort involving five space agencies: NASA (United States),Roscosmos (Russia),JAXA (Japan),ESA (Europe),and CSA (Canada).
