NASA recently changed the astronaut capsule scheduled for an upcoming routine flight to the International Space Station, aiming for the earlier return of two Starliner astronauts. The agency decided to utilize a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, named Endeavor, for the Crew-10 mission. This switch moved up the launch date to March 12 from March 25. A Flight Readiness Assessment of the capsule is still pending.
The return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, stranded on the space station longer than planned, relies on the Crew-10 mission to maintain staff levels at the station. The decision was influenced by a request from President Donald Trump to bring the astronauts back swiftly.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program head, Steve Stich, acknowledged the challenges of human spaceflight and commended SpaceX for its adaptability. The involvement of Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in hastening the astronauts' return brought unexpected political attention to the mission.
The capsule switch will affect SpaceX's planned Fram2 private astronaut mission and Axiom's planned Crew Dragon mission. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule was developed with NASA's funding from the Commercial Crew Program, aiming to cultivate a private spaceflight market while reducing costs.