SpaceX spacecraft arrives at ISS to rescue stranded NASA astronauts
Photo: The spacecraft reached the ISS to pick up the astronauts (flickr.com)
SpaceX's spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) to bring two NASA astronauts back to Earth. They have been stranded in orbit since June 2024, reports The Guardian.
According to the publication, the spacecraft reached the ISS approximately 29 hours after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, with the Crew-10 mission crew, docked with the station at 4:04 GMT on Sunday.
SpaceX delivered four astronauts to the ISS as part of NASA's crew rotation mission. This is a standard procedure. However, the spacecraft will take astronauts Suni Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore from orbit this time. They were stranded at the station due to a malfunction of their Boeing Starliner spacecraft. They have been forced to stay on the ISS for over nine months, although they were initially scheduled to spend only 10 days in space.
Initially, NASA had promised to return the astronauts to Earth in February 2025. However, the return was later delayed. The agency stated that the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which was supposed to bring the astronauts home, needed additional checks. Williams and Wilmore had delivered necessary supplies to the station using spacecraft.
During this time, they conducted scientific research and performed scheduled maintenance on the ISS alongside five other astronauts.
Williams recently admitted to journalists that she is eagerly awaiting her return home to see her two dogs and family.
"It’s been a rollercoaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us," she said.
Williams and Wilmore's departure from the ISS is scheduled for Wednesday, March 19.
Details about the ISS
The International Space Station (ISS) is a crewed space station in Earth's orbit, designed for scientific research in space. The ISS orbits Earth at an altitude of approximately 415 kilometers, completing 15.77 orbits per day, traveling at an average speed of 27,700 km/h.
NASA previously announced that the ISS is technologically outdated and will be decommissioned in 2030-2031. According to the head of the agency, private companies will take over activities in orbit in the future.
American billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk also stated that it is time to deorbit the ISS.
"It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the International Space Station. It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility," he remarked.
