SpaceX Launches Relief Crew to ISS

Two United States — NASA astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, were stranded on the International Space Station for nine months after their Boeing Starliner capsule experienced helium leaks and thruster failures, rendering it unsafe for return. United States — NASA subsequently ordered the Starliner to return empty and arranged for the astronauts to return on a SpaceX flight. After further delays due to battery repairs on a new SpaceX capsule, SpaceX switched to a used capsule, enabling the launch of a relief crew on March 14, 2025. The new crew, including United States — NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russia's Kirill Peskov, will spend six months on the International Space Station, allowing Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to return next week. The extended mission gained political attention when Donald Trump and SpaceX's Elon Musk vowed to accelerate the astronauts' return.