SpaceX Capsule Docks at Space Station, Bringing Ride Home for Stranded Astronauts

A SpaceX capsule reached the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday carrying aid for two individuals who have been on the space station longer than intended.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida on Saturday afternoon. It launched the Crew-9 mission in a Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon came into contact with the ISS on Sunday evening.

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Once the craft was berthed, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov space worn into the ISS. The other astronauts were already there and they embraced them.

NASA head Pam Melroy said it was a great day.

When Hague and Gorbunov return to Earth in February they will be bringing back two hardened space travelers Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. These two have been on the ISS much longer than they were supposed to be.

Wilmore and Williams flew to the ISS in June on the new Starliner constructed by Boeing. The mission was the first for the Starliner, and crew members were on board. They were only supposed to last for eight days.

However, during the space trip, the Starliner experienced some engine issues. NASA was forced to change its strategies massively. After many trials, they concluded that they would have to return the Starliner to Earth again with no crew and fly Wilmore and Williams back home in SpaceX Crew 9.

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Space X, which was founded by Elon Musk, has a routine of sending a trip to the ISS every six months to swap over the teams.

The Crew-9 was initially planned for August but was shifted to September. NASA required a little more time to ascertain that Starliner was safe to use or take a decision on the same. Then it was delayed a few more days by a huge storm known as Hurricane Helene.

The Mankind’s heroes Hague and Gorbunov will stay 170 km in orbit ISS for about five months. They will have been on the field for eight monthsby the time they come back for Wilmore and Williams.

The human mission Crew-9 will conduct close to 200 experiments in their mission.