MARCH 20, 2025 — Army astronaut Anne McClain launched into clear skies on March 14 from Kennedy Space Center. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the colonel’s Dragon spacecraft into orbit for a six-month mission to the International Space Station.
McClain, a Soldier in her second space mission, leads a team of one American astronaut a Japanese astronaut and one Roscomos Cosmonaut.
Crew 10 docked on the ISS early Sunday morning where after helping Crew 9 return to earth, the team will perform multiple space experiments including tests of human biology in space, lunar navigation and fire safety.
Ahead of the space launch, the crew arrived in central Florida’s Merritt Island on March 8. That day the astronaut and Soldier took a moment to praise the technicians and engineers behind the crew’s upcoming launch on March 8.
“It really struck me how these missions are not easy,” said McClain while speaking to reporters. “They are so complex. And it takes a very large team of people who are doing work that at times is thankless.”
On Expedition 73, McClain takes on a more significant role in her second trip into the earth’s orbit as Crew 10 commander. McClain said her Army experiences and working with teams of Army pilots prepared her for this mission. Fellow astronaut, Air Force Maj. Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov joined McClain on the voyage.
McClain, who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 2002, went on to fly 20 different aircraft, including the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and the UH-72 Lakota Eurocopter. As a troop commander for the C Troop, 1-14th Aviation Regiment at Fort Novosel, Alabama, McClain had more than 60 pilots who all had boasted more flight hours.
She said accepting the challenge of leading more experienced pilots helped her learn to maximize the talents of a team.
“Colonel McClain was selected for her exceptional ability to lead teams in mission critical situations,” said fellow Army astronaut, Col. Drew Morgan. “She regularly acknowledges that the skills and experiences that make her a successful NASA astronaut were forged in the Army as a Soldier and combat-experienced aviator.”
“Training and leading teams through challenging conditions is a core part of what Soldier leaders do—Anne has been called to perform this noble task in space.”
McClain led her crew in spacewalks during her last expedition, totaling 13 hours and eight minutes. McClain said the Army prepared her to lead fellow space travelers as Army NASA detachment commander, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
“Everything I know about being a leader, pilot and teammate I learned in the Army,” McClain. “That experience was pivotal for me learning how to lead through recognizing and maximizing the contributions of each member of my team. One leader cannot do it all by themselves; these operations are far too complex.”
A mentor on two fronts
McClain’s first contact with NASA came before her military career started. As a freshman or “plebe” on the West Point campus in 1998 she listened to a seasoned Army astronaut, Col. Patrick Forrester, who spoke to cadets on charting their career paths.
McClain, a native of Spokane, Washington, had dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut, but knew she faced slim odds. When McClain became the youngest member of her NASA class in 2013 at 34 years old, she reunited with the now retired Forrester when he served as instructor of her class.
Forrester would continue mentor McClain throughout her career as an astronaut. Forrester took roles as a pilot before joining NASA as an aerospace engineer in 1993 and later as an astronaut candidate in 1996. The Army inducted Forrester into its Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011.
“Colonel Forrester was and is one of the most influential mentors I have had,” McClain said. “He was our first Astronaut boss. I immediately clicked with his leadership style because he, too grew up as an Army aviator.”
During McClain’s first expedition in 2018 she said the crew performed more than 200 experiments every day during her 204 days in space. The experiments included biology, physical science and earth science.
“I am incredibly humbled and grateful and honored to be serving as commander of Crew 10 on this mission,” McClain said. “My background [in the Army] is in helicopters so this is going to go just one or two knots faster from what I’m accustomed to.”
Story by Joe Lacdan
Defense Media Activity – Army Productions