Cape Canaveral: SpaceX successfully launched a mission on Saturday to retrieve two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) following technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft earlier this month. The latest SpaceX Crew-9 mission, carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, aims to bring the two astronauts back to Earth after their return was delayed due to safety concerns.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with just two crew members on board, leaving two vacant seats for Williams and Wilmore on their return journey. The two astronauts were left without a ride home when Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft experienced thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, preventing a safe return.
Originally, Wilmore and Williams had expected to spend just a week in space, as part of Boeing’s first crewed Starliner mission, which launched in June. However, a series of technical setbacks with Starliner forced NASA to delay their return, leaving the astronauts to spend an extended stay on the ISS. By the time they are expected to return in February 2024, they will have logged over eight months in space.
NASA officials stated that there was no alternative way to bring the astronauts home earlier without disrupting other scheduled missions. As a result, SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission was reduced from its usual crew size of four to ensure that Wilmore and Williams had seats on the return flight.
Sunita Williams, who has since taken command of the ISS, will remain on board until the crew swap is completed. The arrival of Hague and Gorbunov will allow the four astronauts currently on the ISS since March to return to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule, which had been delayed by Boeing’s Starliner issues.
Boeing’s Starliner has encountered several challenges in recent years, including a failed uncrewed test flight in 2019. Despite efforts to address these technical issues, NASA ultimately opted for SpaceX to handle the rescue mission. Boeing’s most recent Starliner capsule returned safely to Earth on September 6, landing in New Mexico, but without any astronauts on board.