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).



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 AstronautsAnne McClain (NASA)Second spaceflightPreviously spent 204 days in space as a flight engineer for Expeditions 58 and 59Completed two spacewalks, totaling 13 hours and 8 minutesFormer branch chief and space station assistant at NASA’s Astronaut OfficeBorn in Spokane, WashingtonNichole Ayers (NASA)First spaceflightA U.S.

Air Force major, she is the first member of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class assigned to a missionFormer instructor pilot and mission commander for the T-38 ADAIR and F-22 RaptorLogged 1,400+ flight hours, including 200+ in combatBorn in San Diego, California; resides in Colorado SpringsTakuya Onishi (JAXA)Second spaceflightSpent 113 days in space as a flight engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49Previously launched aboard Soyuz MS-01 in 2016Joined JAXA in 2009Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos)First spaceflightFormer Boeing 757 and 767 co-pilot for Nordwind and Ikar airlinesSelected as a cosmonaut in 2018, later assigned as a test cosmonaut in 2020Experienced in skydiving, zero-gravity training, scuba diving, and wilderness survival.