A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, set to bring home stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams next year, arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, according to NASA and SpaceX.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov boarded the ISS shortly after the Dragon capsule docked at 21:30 GMT, as reported by NASA on X.
The SpaceX Crew-9 mission was initially designed to transport four astronauts to the ISS. However, two seats were vacated for Wilmore and Williams after the Boeing Starliner capsule, which brought them to the ISS in June, was deemed unfit for their return to Earth.
Wilmore and Williams, both former military test pilots, have been stranded on the ISS since the Starliner experienced thruster failures and helium leaks. NASA determined it was unsafe for the astronauts to return aboard Starliner, which was sent back to Earth empty earlier this month.
Now, Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to return home alongside Hague and Gorbunov on Crew Dragon in February next year, turning what was intended to be an 8-day mission into an 8-month ordeal.
Source: Reuters
