CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The replacements for NASA’s two stuck astronauts launched to the International Space Station on Friday night, paving the way for the pair’s return after nine long months.

The launch will mean NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally closing in on their long-awaited flight back to Earth.

The SPHEREx telescope will create the most colorful map of the cosmos, while the four satellites of the PUNCH mission track the evolution of the solar wind in three dimensions.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft scrubbed prior to liftoff for a mission to the International Space Station from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) (AP)

NASA will livestream the launch Friday night of Crew-10, which will in part replace the Starliner astronauts at the International Space Station.

ABC News’ Terry Moran speaks to space industry expert Eric Ingram about SpaceX’s launch of astronauts to the International Space Station to relieve two Americans whose trip was extended unexpectedly.

NASA and SpaceX on Friday launched a long-awaited crew to the International Space Station that opens the door to bringing home U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the orbital lab for nine months.