SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, delivering a vital rescue capsule for NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.
The pair had been stranded on the station since June, after safety concerns surrounding their Boeing Starliner spacecraft left them unable to return to Earth.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which launched from Cape Canaveral on Saturday, arrived at the ISS at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The mission brought NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, who joined the nine astronauts already on board, increasing the ISS crew temporarily to eleven.
Sunita Williams, now commander of the ISS, greeted the new arrivals, stating, “I just want to say welcome to our new compadres.”
Williams and Wilmore, both seasoned astronauts, were scheduled for just an eight-day mission. However, due to technical issues with the Starliner, their stay was extended to over eight months.
The Boeing Starliner was on its first crewed test flight in June when it suffered a series of technical failures, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks shortly after launch.
NASA, prioritising astronaut safety, cancelled the spacecraft’s return mission, and the Starliner returned to Earth unmanned earlier this month, landing in the New Mexico desert.
NASA turned to SpaceX for the rescue, using the Crew Dragon capsule to bring Williams and Wilmore back.
This led to changes in the crew roster, with astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson being removed from the Crew-9 mission to make space for the stranded astronauts on the return journey.
Hague, the mission leader, expressed his resolve to complete the task, stating, "We’ve got a dynamic challenge ahead of us. We know each other, and we’re professionals, and we step up and do what’s asked of us."
The arrival of the Crew-9 astronauts also marks the beginning of the return preparations for four astronauts who have been aboard the ISS since March.
Their return to Earth within the next week will return the station's crew size to the usual seven members, following the temporary boost caused by the Starliner’s delays.
Wilmore and Williams, both former Navy captains, have continued their work on the station during the extended stay, assisting with maintenance and scientific experiments.
Their much-anticipated return to Earth is now scheduled for late February, concluding a mission that has far exceeded its original plan.
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