Sunita Williams’ return to Earth: When will Crew 10 lift off? Why is it important? Here’s what we know

Sunita Williams' return to Earth: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been ‘stuck’ in space for nearly nine months now.

SpaceX and the NASA, had planned on Wednesday, March 12, to launch from Florida a replacement crew of four astronauts, a mission called Crew-10, to help bring back Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. A last-minute issue with the rocket's ground systems, however, delayed the mission further.

When will Sunita Williams return to Earth then? Why is Crew 10 so important for the NASA astronauts return? When will the Crew 10 lift off? Here's what we know.

What is Crew 10? Why is it important?

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's space expedition, which was intended for eight days, expanded to nine months, following technical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

Crew-10 is supposed to replace the Crew-9 team which Sunita Williams is part of. Crew-9 cannot return from space unless Crew 10 reaches the International Space Station (ISS) and take over the mission.

Crew 10, as the name suggests, is SpaceX's tenth science rotation mission to the ISS.

When will Crew 10 lift-off?

According to the NASA, the Crew 10 is now slated for liftoff at 7:03 p.m. ET Friday (March 14) , which is around 4am IST, Saturday ( March 15).

Who are the Crew 10 astronauts?

The Crew 10 mission has the following astronauts, who will live and work at the ISS for about six months:

1. NASA astronaut Anne McClain, the mission commander;

2. NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, the mission pilot;

3. Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa), a mission specialist;

4. Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, a mission specialist

When will Sunita Williams return to Earth?

If Crew-10 launches as planned on March 14, it will dock to the ISS at 11:30 pm ET Saturday (March 15), which is 9am IST Sunday (March 16).

The docking would be followed by a traditional handover ceremony that will allow for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's departure on Wednesday, March 19 ET, reported Reuters.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were earlier expected to return to Earth on Sunday, March 16.