SpaceX Capsule Successfully Delivers New Crew to ISS Amid Ongoing Challenges
The International Space Station (ISS) welcomed a new crew on Sunday, as a SpaceX capsule docked less than 24 hours after its launch. This mission aimed to replace two NASA astronauts who have been unexpectedly stranded at the station.
Arriving from the U.S., Japan, and Russia, the four astronauts are set to familiarize themselves with the station’s operations under the guidance of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The duo, having been aboard since last June due to unforeseen circumstances, will soon prepare for their return journey in a SpaceX capsule that has been stationed since last year.
Originally, Wilmore and Williams intended to stay for just a week following their launch on Boeing’s inaugural astronaut flight. However, complications with the Boeing Starliner capsule necessitated its return to Earth without its test pilots, leading NASA to arrange for a SpaceX rescue mission.
The newly arrived astronauts were met with warm greetings as they floated into the space station, where Williams expressed, “It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive,” during a communication with Mission Control.
Initially, Wilmore and Williams’ return vehicle came in late September with room for two additional crew members. Subsequent delays, including necessary repairs to a new capsule’s batteries, postponed their departure, which is now slated for mid-March.
Weather conditions permitting, the SpaceX capsule, carrying Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts, is scheduled to undock as early as Wednesday, with plans to splash down off the coast of Florida.
In the meantime, the ISS will host a total of 11 crew members, representing the U.S., Russia, and Japan.
This image made from video by NASA shows astronauts, including Takuya Onishi, center, greeting each other after the SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station, on Sunday. AP/NASA
This image made from video by NASA shows a SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts on final approach to the International Space Station before docking on Sunday. AP/NASA
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
