Sep 28, 2024
BREAKING: SpaceX launches mission to return 2 NASA astronauts stuck in space
The two NASA employees have been stuck at the ISS since earlier this year after Boeing’s Starliner ship was deemed unable to return them home due to safety concerns.
According to the Associated Press, the rocket launched on Saturday with Crew-9 to fetch the two stranded astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, after the Boeing aircraft had to be returned empty to Earth earlier this month. By the time Wilmore and William return, they will have logged around eight months in space after launching in June.
The two were only supposed to be on the ISS for a short period of time when they arrived in June, however, things got dicey concerning the ability of Boeing's Starliner to bring them back safely.
SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, has been conducting regular missions around every six months to rotate crews going to the ISS. The ship has two open seats that are usually filled, but will be used to bring Williams and Wilmore back.
SpaceX published a press release leading up to the launch on Saturday, saying, "The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew the Crew-4, Ax-2, and Ax-3 missions to and from the International Space Station. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station."
The SpaceX ship is carrying two other astronauts to assist in the mission, NASA employee Nick Hague as well as Russia's Alexander Gorbunov.
The two were seen in a clip posted by the company prior to launch.
In other activities related to SpaceX, Musk has announced plans to launch unmanned Mars missions within the next two years as well as manned missions to the planet within four. The tech CEO and entrepreneur has been in talks with GOP nominee Donald Trump as of late, often addressing the future and role of space for America and the world.
