A SpaceX Dragon capsule has docked with the International Space Station (ISS) to retrieve two astronauts stranded due to a fault in Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
The capsule, which arrived at 17:30 eastern time (22:30 BST), carries two empty seats for NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded on the ISS since June.
The pair had initially arrived on the ISS aboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule for an eight-day mission, but a fault discovered during the flight delayed their return. NASA and Boeing engineers investigated the problem, including helium leaks and thruster issues, before concluding that it was unsafe to bring the astronauts back aboard the Starliner.
The Dragon capsule, which launched from Cape Canaveral on Saturday, carried NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov to join the ISS crew. Hague and Gorbunov will remain on the space station before returning with Wilmore and Williams in February.
The launch was initially delayed due to Hurricane Helene, which caused significant damage in the southeastern United States, including Florida.
This mission marks a critical development in NASA’s efforts to maintain multiple U.S. options for manned space travel. Boeing and SpaceX were both awarded contracts in 2014 to take astronauts to the ISS, valued at $4.2 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively.
SpaceX has been a key player since 2020, becoming the first private company to transport astronauts to the ISS, a milestone for the space industry led by Elon Musk’s company.
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