Exciting News from Space! Two astronauts have been stranded at the International Space Station since June, but their wait for a ride home just became a whole lot shorter with the arrival of a SpaceX capsule on Sunday.
SpaceX launched the rescue mission with a crew of two astronauts, leaving two empty seats reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The Dragon capsule docked in darkness high above Botswana, as both spacecraft soared 260 miles above Earth.
NASA made the switch to SpaceX due to safety concerns over the Boeing Starliner capsule, which experienced thruster failures and helium leaks on its test flight with crew onboard.
The Dragon will now stay at the space station until February, extending what should have been a brief trip for Wilmore and Williams into an eight-month mission.
SpaceX has been NASA’s go-to taxi service for astronaut flights since 2020, with Boeing also providing ferry flights. However, ongoing issues with the Starliner have led to delays and hefty repair costs.
Starliner inspections are currently underway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in preparation for post-flight reviews.
With the arrival of two fresh astronauts, the current team at the space station since March will soon return in their own SpaceX capsule. Their extended stay was due to the previous Starliner complications.
While Saturday’s launch went smoothly, SpaceX is investigating an issue with the rocket’s upper stage landing. All Falcon launches have been paused until the problem is resolved.
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