A crew of four astronauts from three nations is about to be launched into space ready to head to the International Space Station (ISS).
Nasa astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jaxa (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will lift off on Wednesday evening.
This is the 10th crewed mission under Nasa’s Commercial Crew Programme, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Endurance will carry the four astronauts to the ISS for a six-month stay.
Leaving the station on 16 March will be Crew-9 Nasa astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Wilmore and Williams have been on board the ISS for nine months. They travelled there on Boeing’s Starliner capsule last June, initially to stay for roughly a week.
However after succession of problems with the capsule, Nasa ruled it was too dangerous to carry anyone and it flew back to Earth empty.
Now Crew-10’s mission to the station will mean the pair can finally come home.
When is the SpaceX Crew-10 launch?
The launch of SpaceX Crew-10 is scheduled for Wednesday 12 March at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
Lift-off is due to take place at 7.48 pm (local time), which is 11.48pm (GMT) in the UK.
The astronauts will be on board a SpaceX Dragon capsule, which will be propelled into space by a Falcon 9 rocket.
Crew-10 are expected to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday 13 March.
How can I watch a live stream?
Those hoping to wait up and watch the launch live will be able to catch coverage on Nasa+.
The space agency’s streaming service will begin its broadcast at 3.45pm (local time), which is 7.45pm (GMT).
Live coverage on Nasa+ will resume on Thursday, when the capsule docks at the ISS, which will be 4am (local time) and 8am (GMT).
SpaceX will also have a live stream of the launch, the webcast will begin about an hour and 20 minutes prior to lift-off, on X @SpaceX and on the X TV app.
What is the purpose of the mission?
The four-person crew is expected to spend six months at the international Space Station.
There they will be conducting scientific research for future human space exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
Among the experiments they are scheduled to do are material flammability tests for future spacecraft designs.
They will engage with students via ham radio and use its existing hardware to test a backup lunar navigation solution.
And they will participate in an integrated study to better understand the physiological and psychological changes to the human body in space, to provide insights for future deep-space missions.
Who are the crew members?
Anne McClain
Anne McClain is the Crew-10 commander, embarking on her second trip to space.
The 45-year-old has previously been a flight engineer on the ISS from 2018 to 2019, when she was lead spacewalker.
As a Master Army Aviator and Experimental Test Pilot, she earned her wings as a helicopter pilot and served 15 months in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where she flew over 800 combat hours on 216 combat missions.
Nichole Ayers
US Air Force Major Nichole Ayers is Crew-10’s pilot, this will be her first space mission.
The 36-yuear-old is one of 10 candidates selected in 2021 as part Nasa Astronaut Group 23.
She served as the assistant director of operations in the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska before Nasa selection and logged more than 200 flight hours over Iraq and Syria during Operation Inherent Resolve.
Takuya Onishi
Takuya Onishi, 49, is a mission specialist for Crew-10, this is the second time in space for the Japanese astronaut.
The former airline pilot joined the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) as an astronaut in 2009.
In 2011, he served as an aquanaut on Nasa’s Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 15 undersea exploration mission.
And in 2016, he was a flight engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49 to the ISS during which he spent 113 days in space.
Kirill Peskov
Russian Kirill Peskov, 34, is Crew-10’s second mission specialist and this will be his first time in space.
Another former airline pilot, he was selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 2018 for the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia.
In 2020, he qualified as a test cosmonaut for the Russian space agency Roscosmos.