Stranded astronauts welcome aboard SpaceX rescue crew at space station
Astronauts welcome SpaceX crew
The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed the SpaceX capsule crew, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, with whom they will return home next year.
The two-crew rescue mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday reserved two more seats for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. The SpaceX Crew Dragon docked at the ISS on Sunday. Hague and Gorbunov are to remain on the space station until February.
Originally, the Crew-9 flight was to have a four-person crew, but two astronauts were removed to accommodate Williams and Wilmore, who were stranded after Boeing Starliner experienced technical difficulties.
During the Starliner's first test flight, the spacecraft had helium leaks and thruster failure, making it unsafe for the crew to return in it. It was then sent back to Earth unmanned earlier this month.
“I just want to say welcome to our new compadres,” Williams, the space station commander, said as Hague and Gorbunov entered and were embraced by the nine astronauts aboard the space station.
“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,” said Hague.
He added the flight was smooth.
The crew on the space station is replaced around every six months. SpaceX has been providing the taxi for astronauts ever since 2020. While NASA also hired Boeing to carry crew to the space station, software issues and Starliner failures have resulted in over a billion dollars of repairs and years of delay.
Stranded astronauts to return next year
The SpaceX capsule is set to return around February next year with Wilmore and Williams on board. The duo’s test flight was supposed to last about a week but has stranded them at the space station for nearly four months now.
“We always miss our families. I miss my two dogs; I miss my friends,” Williams said earlier this month. “There are so many people on Earth that are sending us messages, and it makes you feel just right at home with everybody.”
(With inputs from agencies)
