Space X's Crew 9 Mission Capsule Reached International Space Station To Rescue Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore

Space X's Crew 9 Mission Capsule Reached International Space Station To Rescue Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore

NASA's Nick Hague and Roscosmos' Aleksandr Gorbunov, aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, effectively connected with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, rescuing Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, stranded since June 2024.

Manasi KambleUpdated: Monday, September 30, 2024, 11:27 AM IST
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(Left to right, front) Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, Aleksandr Gorbunov, and Sunita Williams. | Screen Grab from NASA Livestream

SpaceX initiated a mission by sending a two-person crew to the International Space Station to retrieve two NASA astronauts who were stranded in orbit after using Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

Space X Capsule Arrives At International Space Station

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov launched aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon from Cape Canaveral, Florida, shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Crew-9 capsule successfully made contact with the ISS around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Ninety minutes later, Eastern time Hague, Gorbunov boarded the ISS.

NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams will take the two empty seats next to the pair when the spacecraft returns next year. The Crew-9 flight was supposed to have four crew members, but NASA had to remove two due to technical issues with Boeing's spacecraft. Astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson gave up their spots for their colleagues to come back to Earth.

Ken Bowersox, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, mentioned that they will locate places for Cardman and Wilson to fly. "We deeply understand the difficulty of abandoning a mission and having to wait a bit longer."

Stuck In Space

Wilmore and Williams have been aboard the ISS since June 6, when they reached the space station via the Starliner. While docking, the spacecraft encountered multiple helium leaks and malfunctions with its thrusters - the small engines it relies on to navigate in space. Following extensive analysis and testing, NASA determined that bringing them back home on the Boeing capsule was too risky.

The duo had travelled on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its initial manned mission, reaching the space station on June 6. NASA decided not to bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth due to safety concerns, and the spacecraft safely returned on September 6 as a result.

When Will Williams and Wilmore Arrive Earth?

Wilmore and Williams will formally continue their work as expedition members and are expected to come back in February of the following year. This refers to the fact that a week-long test flight was stretched to about 8 months. "Wilmore and Williams will remain in their roles as members of the Expedition 71/72 crew until February 2025.

They will return to Earth on a Dragon spacecraft alongside two other crew members for the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission. NASA stated that Starliner is anticipated to leave the space station and perform a secure, controlled independent re-entry and landing in early September.

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