Falcon 9 lifts off with replacement crew to bring home long-delayed NASA astronauts.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Friday at 7:03 p.m. from Kennedy Space Center, carrying four Crew-10 astronauts toward the International Space Station. Their arrival will enable the return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, two NASA astronauts stuck in orbit for nine months.

Wilmore and Williams arrived in June 2024 expecting a 10-day mission, but mechanical issues with their spacecraft forced NASA to send the vehicle back empty. The Dragon spacecraft carrying the replacement crew is expected to dock Saturday night around 11:30 p.m.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will join Wilmore and Williams for their long-awaited return to Earth on Wednesday, following a brief handover period with the incoming Crew-10 team.

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