Washington: The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, assigned for the rescue mission of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore who were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), has successfully docked with the station.
The two NASA astronauts, initially slated to spend just over a week in space, have been awaiting their return since June due to safety concerns regarding their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Launched on Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the Crew Dragon capsule, integral to the Crew-9 mission, carried NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov. It docked with the ISS at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Sunita Williams, now the commander of the ISS, greeted the newcomers, expressing, “I just want to say welcome to our new compadres,” as Hague and Gorbunov joined the nine astronauts already aboard.
Williams and Wilmore’s prolonged stay was due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner, which experienced thruster failures and helium leaks shortly after launch. These complications led NASA to consider the spacecraft too risky for the astronauts to use for their return journey.
Consequently, the Starliner returned to Earth earlier this month without a crew, touching down safely in the New Mexico desert.
NASA decided to utilize a SpaceX Crew Dragon to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth, necessitating changes to the crew manifest. To accommodate the astronauts stranded in space, two astronauts, newcomer Zena Cardman and experienced Stephanie Wilson, were removed from the Crew-9 mission.
With the arrival of Hague and Gorbunov, the four astronauts who have been aboard the ISS since March are now set to return to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule within the coming week. This will restore the station’s crew count to the standard seven, after a temporary increase due to the Starliner’s technical difficulties.
Wilmore and Williams, both retired Navy captains and experienced NASA astronauts, have adjusted to their prolonged stay in space, engaging in regular maintenance and scientific research on the ISS.
