After months of uncertainty, two astronauts stuck aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June finally received their return transport, thanks to the arrival of a SpaceX capsule on Sunday, as per the Associated Press.
SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday, carrying two astronauts and leaving two seats empty for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.The Dragon capsule successfully docked with the ISS as the spacecraft passed 265 miles (426 kilometres) above Botswana.
The change in transport came after Nasa pulled Wilmore and Williams from their original return flight aboard Boeing‘s Starliner due to safety measures. Issues with the Starliner—specifically thruster failures and helium leaks—emerged during its first crewed test flight, forcing Nasa to deem it too risky for the astronauts’ journey home. The Starliner returned to Earth empty earlier this month.
Wilmore and Williams, whose mission was only supposed to last a week, will now spend over eight months in space. Their new return capsule, the Dragon, will stay docked at the ISS until February.
The arrival of two new astronauts on Sunday also means the four-person crew currently on board since March will return to Earth soon. Their departure was delayed by a month due to complications with Boeing’s Starliner.
Despite the Starliner setbacks, Nasa hasn’t written off Boeing entirely. “We’re a long way from saying, ‘Hey, we’re writing off Boeing,’” said Jim Free, Nasa’s associate administrator. Inspections of the Starliner are ongoing, with post-flight data reviews already underway.
While the launch went smoothly, SpaceX encountered a minor issue when the rocket’s upper stage missed its target impact zone in the Pacific due to engine problems. As a result, SpaceX has paused further Falcon launches until the cause is identified.