Successful Conclusion of SpaceX's Crew-10 Mission as Dragon Capsule Safely Landings
SpaceX's Crew-10 Mission Returns to Earth After 145 Days on the ISS
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft safely returned the Crew-10 mission to Earth on August 9, marking the end of a nearly five-month-long journey aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California, at 11:33 a.m. ET.
The Crew-10 mission launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14. The four astronauts onboard—NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov—spent over four months conducting various scientific investigations, including research sponsored by the ISS National Lab.
Following a smooth reentry into Earth's atmosphere, the four main parachutes deployed just minutes before splashdown to ensure a gentle landing. The return journey of Crew-10 can be viewed in the video below.
While the Crew-10 mission was wrapping up, SpaceX was preparing for the 10th orbital test flight of its next-generation Starship vehicle. However, details about this flight, including the timeline, launch date, and mission objectives, were not available at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, the Dragon capsule used for Crew-10 has previously flown the Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions for NASA. On a separate occasion, SpaceX launched the Crew-11 mission to the ISS, which is still docked at the station. The Crew-11 mission, launched on August 1 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, carried four astronauts—NASA’s Zena Cardman (commander) and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov—to the ISS for a 7-month science expedition.
[1] NASA (2025). Crew-10 Mission. [online] Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/Crew-10-mission.html
[2] SpaceX (2025). Crew-10 Mission. [online] Available at: https://www.spacex.com/mars/crew-10
[3] ISS National Lab (2025). Crew-10 Mission. [online] Available at: https://www.iss-casis.org/mission/crew-10/
[4] NASA TV (2025). Crew-10 Docking to ISS. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-2i52J0VlM
[5] NASA TV (2025). Crew-10 Splashdown. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF1KNmYdYCw
- The Crew-10 mission, conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS), involved scientific investigations, including research sponsored by the ISS National Lab, reflecting the intersection of space-and-astronomy, technology, and science.
- SpaceX's next generation Starship vehicle, currently under preparation for the 10th orbital test flight, showcases the continuous advancement of space-and-astronomy technology.
