A SpaceX Dragon capsule has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) to collect two astronauts who have been stranded there since June. The capsule arrived at 5:30 PM Eastern Time (22:30 BST) and has two empty seats for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
Wilmore and Williams initially traveled to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for an eight-day mission but were unable to return due to a fault identified during the flight. They are now expected to make their journey back to Earth in February.
The Dragon capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, who will join the ISS crew before taking Wilmore and Williams home. The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday but was postponed due to Hurricane Helene, which caused significant destruction across southeastern U.S., including Florida.
The docking took place while the ISS was flying 265 miles (426 km) above Botswana in southern Africa. Inside the ISS, footage captured Hague and Gorbunov celebrating their arrival with smiles and photos alongside the existing crew.
The Starliner flight, which launched on June 5, was Boeing’s first test mission with astronauts on board. Unfortunately, the capsule encountered several issues during its flight, including helium leaks affecting its propulsion system and problems with various thrusters. After months of investigation, NASA deemed it unsafe to return Wilmore and Williams aboard the Starliner.
This setback comes after years of delays in Starliner’s development and challenges identified during uncrewed test flights in 2019 and 2022. Since NASA retired its space shuttle fleet in 2011, the agency has relied on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft for ISS transportation. The goal of having two American companies for these missions became a priority, leading to contracts awarded to Boeing and SpaceX in 2014, valued at $4.2 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively.
In 2020, SpaceX made history as the first private company to send astronauts to the ISS, marking a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight.
