Stuck NASA astronauts welcome SpaceX capsule that’ll bring them home next year

Two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station welcomed their SpaceX ride home after a successful rescue mission.

The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday’s (September 29, 2024) arrival of a SpaceX capsule.

SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday (September 28, 2024) with a downsized crew of two astronauts and two empty seats reserved for Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who will return next year. The Dragon capsule docked in darkness as the two craft soared 265 miles (426 kilometers) above Botswana.

NASA switched Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams to SpaceX following concerns over the safety of their Boeing Starliner capsule. It was the first Starliner test flight with a crew, and NASA decided the thruster failures and helium leaks cropped up after liftoff were too serious and poorly understood to risk the test pilots’ return. So Starliner returned to Earth empty earlier this 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 weeklong trip for Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams into a mission lasting more than eight months.

Two NASA astronauts were pulled from the mission to make room for Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams on the return leg.

“I just want to say welcome to our new compadres,” Ms. Williams, the space station commander, said once Mr. Hague and Mr. Gorbunov floated inside and were embraced by the nine astronauts awaiting them.

Mr. Hague said it was a smooth flight up. “Coming through the hatch and seeing all the smiles, and as much as I've laughed and cried in the last 10 minutes, I know it's going to be an amazing expedition," he said.