The months-long ordeal of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has taken a new turn as their ride back to Earth is finally on its way to the International Space Station (ISS).
SpaceX successfully launched a mission today (28th) aimed at rescuing the two stranded test pilots, who have been aboard the ISS far longer than planned.
Wilmore and Williams originally traveled to the ISS in Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft, which returned to Earth empty earlier this month due to safety issues.
Now, NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov have been dispatched to bring them home.
According to the Associated Press:
“NASA rotates crews at the space station approximately every six months, so this newly launched flight won’t return until late February, with two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams. Officials explained that bringing them back earlier on a SpaceX flight was impossible without disrupting other scheduled missions.”
By the time they return, Wilmore and Williams will have spent over eight months in space, far longer than their originally planned one-week mission.
Their extended stay comes after Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft experienced numerous problems, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, which led NASA to deem it unsafe for their return.
In response, NASA made adjustments to today’s SpaceX flight, removing two astronauts to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the Dragon capsule’s return journey to Earth.
“Wilmore and Williams watched the liftoff live from the space station,” NASA deputy program manager Dina Contella said, sharing that Williams cheered, “Go Dragon!” as the mission launched.
In the meantime, Williams, who is in her element aboard the ISS, has been promoted to commander of the space station.
Once Hague and Gorbunov arrive at the station tomorrow (29th), the four astronauts who have been on board since March will depart on their own SpaceX capsule.
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, initially scheduled for this SpaceX mission, were pulled from the flight to accommodate Wilmore and Williams.
Promised future space missions, both attended the launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where they joined the livestream.
Gorbunov remains a part of the mission as part of a crew exchange agreement between NASA and Russia’s space agency.
Meanwhile, Hague acknowledged the unique challenges of flying with a reduced crew and returning with two astronauts trained for a different spacecraft.
“We’ve got a dynamic challenge ahead of us,” Hague said, after arriving from Houston over the weekend. “But we’re professionals, and we step up and do what’s asked of us.”
Despite the unexpected delays, the mission to bring Wilmore and Williams back is now underway, marking a significant chapter in their long stay in space.
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