NASA and SpaceX have agreed to switch the crew on the upcoming Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station from a new Crew Dragon spacecraft to the Endurance, previously used for three missions. The change comes after delays in completing the new spacecraft, which led to the launch being rescheduled for March 12.
The original plan was to use the new Crew Dragon for the Ax-4 private astronaut mission, but due to the delays, NASA is now accelerating the launch of Crew-10 and its subsequent return. This means that Crew-9, currently on the ISS with astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will be returning several days after the arrival of Crew-10.
Crew-10’s mission is led by NASA astronaut Anne McClain and includes fellow NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers as pilot. The mission specialists are JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. Despite delays, NASA plans to launch Crew-10 in late March, with the Ax-4 mission now using the original intended spacecraft.
The change has sparked controversy after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted that President Trump had instructed him to return astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore “as soon as possible.” However, Williams disputed this claim, stating that she felt safe on the ISS. The swap will not affect crew assignments, but it may impact the Ax-4 mission’s schedule.
Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-and-spacex-to-swap-crew-dragon-spacecraft-to-reduce-crew-10-delay