SpaceX's Crew Dragon to Rescue Stranded Astronauts From ISS

Two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded on the ISS due to the faulty Boeing Starliner capsule, are set to return home on SpaceX's Crew Dragon next year. The Crew Dragon recently docked at the ISS, bringing new hope for their safe return.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon space capsule, scheduled to bring home stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams next year, has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS). According to NASA and SpaceX, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov boarded the ISS shortly after the Dragon capsule docked at 2130 GMT.

The SpaceX Crew-9 mission was initially meant to transport four astronauts to the ISS. However, seats were arranged for Wilmore and Williams after the Boeing Starliner capsule, which brought them in June, was deemed unfit for a return journey. The Starliner suffered thruster failures and helium leaks, making it unsafe to bring the astronauts back to Earth. It was sent back to Earth empty earlier this month.

Wilmore and Williams, who first flew on the problematic Starliner, are now scheduled to return home with Hague and Gorbunov on Crew Dragon in February next year. Their intended 8-day mission has now turned into an 8-month ordeal, highlighting the challenges faced in space missions.

(With inputs from agencies.)