SpaceX Crew-10 successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) at 12:05 a.m. EST on Sunday. The docking occurred after a flawless launch from Florida on Friday. This milestone paves the way for the safe return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stuck on the ISS since June due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

The live video feed captured the dramatic docking process as the Crew-10 capsule approached the ISS with Earth’s cloudy atmosphere rotating in the background. Engineers from both NASA and SpaceX celebrated the successful maneuver as the capsule latched onto the ISS docking port.

The new crew members, led by American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, entered the station shortly before 2:00 a.m. EST. Wilmore and Williams warmly greeted them, with Williams snapping photos and one crew member wearing an alien mask to add humor to the historic moment.

“Houston, thank you for tuning in this early morning,” Williams said. “It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive. Thank you so much.”

Wilmore and Williams have been unable to return to Earth due to multiple technical issues with the Boeing Starliner, which was originally scheduled for an eight-day mission. The arrival of Crew-9 in August did not resolve the issue due to the lack of an emergency escape pod. With Crew-10’s arrival, the path is now clear for their return.

Elon Musk confirmed on X that the astronauts are expected to begin their return flight in the coming days. This mission highlights SpaceX’s critical role in supporting NASA’s efforts to maintain and manage the ISS. The successful docking not only ensures the safe return of the stranded astronauts but also reinforces the reliability of SpaceX missions in future space operations.