In this image taken from a NASA livestream, the two astronauts stranded at the International Space Station since June 2024, Butch Wilmore, far left, and Suni Williams, far right, welcome two new residents who flew on SpaceX, Nick Hague of NASA, front left in blue, and Alexander Gorbunov of the Russian Space Agency, front right in blue, Sunday, September 29, 2024. Behind them, from left in black, are Jeanette Epps of NASA, Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, Mike Barratt of NASA and Matthew Dominick of NASA. From left to right, dressed in red, are Russian Ivan Vagner, NASA’s Don Pettit and Russian Alexei Ovchinin. Credit: NASA via AP
The two astronauts stranded at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new return home with the arrival of a SpaceX capsule on Sunday.
SpaceX launched the rescue mission Saturday with a skeleton crew of two astronauts and two empty seats reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will return next year. The Dragon capsule docked in the darkness as the two craft rose 426 kilometers above Botswana.
NASA transferred Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX following concerns about the safety of their Boeing Starliner capsule. This was the Starliner’s first crewed test flight, and NASA decided that the propellant failures and helium leaks that occurred after takeoff were too serious and poorly understood to risk returning the pilots from essay. Starliner therefore returned to Earth empty at the beginning of the month.
The Dragon carrying NASA’s Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agency’s Alexander Gorbunov will remain at the space station until February, turning what should have been a week-long trip for Wilmore and Williams into a mission of more than eight month.
Two NASA astronauts were removed from the mission to make way for Wilmore and Williams upon return.
The SpaceX Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station, Sunday, September 29, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP
“I just want to welcome our new compadres,” Williams, the space station commander, said once Hague and Gorbunov floated inside and were hugged by the nine astronauts waiting for them.
Hague said the flight was smooth. “Coming through the hatch and seeing all the smiles, and even though I’ve laughed and cried over the last 10 minutes, I know it’s going to be an incredible journey,” he said.
NASA likes to replace its station crews every six months or so. SpaceX has provided the taxi service since the company’s first astronaut flight in 2020. NASA also hired Boeing for ferry flights after the space shuttles were retired, but faulty software and other Starliner issues led to years of delays and more than a billion dollars in repairs.
Inspections of the Starliner are underway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, and post-flight data reviews are scheduled to begin this week.
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In blue suits, Nick Hague of NASA, left, and Alexander Gorbunov of the Russian Space Agency enter the International Space Station from SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, Sunday, September 29, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP
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The SpaceX Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station, Sunday, September 29, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP
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NASA’s Nick Hague in blue enters the International Space Station from the SpaceX Dragon capsule, Sunday, September 29, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP
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The SpaceX Dragon capsule carries NASA’s Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agency’s Alexander Gorbunov to dock with the International Space Station, Sunday, September 29, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP
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Alexander Gorbunov of the Russian Space Agency enters the International Space Station from SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, Sunday, September 29, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from Launch Pad 40 of the Cape Canaveral Space Station on Saturday, September 28, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: AP Photo/Chris O’Meara
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from Launch Pad 40 of the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Saturday, September 28, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Chris O’Meara
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from Launch Pad 40 of the Cape Canaveral Space Station on Saturday, September 28, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: AP Photo/Chris O’Meara
“We’re a long way from saying, ‘Hey, we’re giving up on Boeing,'” NASA associate administrator Jim Free said during a pre-launch briefing.
The arrival of two new astronauts means the four who have been up there since March can now return to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule in just over a week, bringing the size of the station’s crew back to the normal seven . Their stay was extended by a month due to the troubles linked to the Starliner.
Although Saturday’s liftoff went well, SpaceX said the rocket’s spent upper stage ended up outside its targeted impact zone in the Pacific due to a poor engine start. The company halted all Falcon launches until it found out what was wrong. This was extended by a month due to the Starliner turmoil.
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