Cape Canaveral, FL – A SpaceX mission successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, delivering two astronauts who will eventually return with colleagues stranded aboard since mid-2024. The docking was broadcast live, marking a key milestone in the rescue mission.
The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday at 1:17 PM (1717 GMT) as part of the Crew-9 mission. Onboard the Dragon spacecraft, astronauts Nick Hague from NASA and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov made contact with the ISS at 5:30 PM on Sunday. Shortly after docking, the duo boarded the station around 7 PM, greeted with warm embraces from the current ISS crew.
“I just want to say welcome to our new compadres from Dragon Freedom,” said station commander Suni Williams, one of the astronauts stranded aboard the ISS. She added, “Alex, welcome to the International Space Station, and Nick, welcome back home.”
Stranded Astronauts Await Return
Hague and Gorbunov’s mission to the ISS will span five months. When they depart in February 2025, they will return to Earth with Williams and astronaut Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded since mid-2024 due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Originally, Wilmore and Williams were scheduled for an eight-day mission after arriving at the ISS in June 2024 aboard the Starliner, making its first crewed flight. However, propulsion system issues forced NASA to alter their plans, leaving the astronauts aboard the ISS for months while Starliner’s reliability was assessed.
NASA eventually decided to return the faulty Starliner to Earth without its crew, opting instead for SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission to bring the astronauts home.
SpaceX’s Role in ISS Operations
SpaceX, the private space company founded by Elon Musk, has been conducting regular missions to the ISS approximately every six months. The company has become an essential partner in maintaining the rotation of ISS crews.
Crew-9 was initially scheduled for mid-August but was delayed to late September to allow NASA additional time to evaluate the Starliner situation. Further delays were caused by Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida days before the launch.
During their stay, Hague, Gorbunov, and the rest of the ISS crew will carry out around 200 scientific experiments, advancing knowledge across a range of disciplines.
Looking Ahead
As NASA continues to rely on partnerships with private companies like SpaceX, the space agency remains focused on ensuring the safety of astronauts and the success of future missions. The safe return of Wilmore and Williams in early 2025 will mark the conclusion of an extended mission that tested both the resilience of astronauts and the capabilities of commercial spaceflight.
