Two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station ( ISS) since June have finally received their transportation that will bring them home next year, according to the Associated Press, thanks to the arrival of a SpaceX capsule on Sunday.
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams had two seats left vacant after SpaceX launched the evacuation objective on Saturday, leaving them with two. The Dragon capsule successfully docked with the ISS as the spacecraft passed 265 miles ( 426 kilometres ) above Botswana.
Following Nasa‘s decision to pull Wilmore and Williams from their first return trip aboard Boeing’s Starliner due to safety concerns, the shift in transportation occurred. During its first staffed test flight, issues with the Starliner emerged, causing Nasa to determine that it was too dangerous for the pilots ‘ return home. This month, the Starliner returned to Earth clear.
Wilmore and Williams, whose goal was just supposed to last a month, will then spend over eight weeks in area. Their innovative return capsules, the Dragon, will be docked at the ISS until February.
The four-person staff that has been on board since March will quickly return to Earth thanks to the arrival of two new pilots on Sunday. Their departure was delayed by a quarter due to problems with Boeing’s Starliner.
Despite the Starliner setbacks, Nasa has n’t written off Boeing entirely. ” We’re a long way from saying,’ Hey, we’re writing off Boeing,'” said Jim Free, Nasa’s interact administrator. Checks of the Starliner are continued, with post-flight information reviews now live.
SpaceX had a small problem with the launch, which was caused by the rocket’s lower stage failing due to engine issues in the Pacific. As a result, SpaceX has paused more Falcon launches until the cause is identified.
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