SpaceX Capsule Successfully Docks at ISS for Astronaut Rescue Mission

September 30, 2024 TruthUSA

SpaceX stated that the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket intentionally landed in the ocean but missed the planned target area.

The Dragon capsule by SpaceX successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday to bring back two astronauts who had been stranded since June due to issues with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.

Docking with the ISS at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 29, the Dragon capsule carried NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, as NASA confirmed in a statement.

The Dragon capsule also had two empty seats saved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were unable to return on the Boeing spacecraft earlier this month after NASA deemed it unsafe for flight.

Hague and Gorbunov made their way into the ISS after the capsule hatch was opened around 7 p.m. ET, where they were greeted by the NASA crew at the ISS, including Wilmore and Williams.

In a video shared by NASA, Hague expressed, “[Aleksandr] and I had a smooth ride up here. Coming through the hatch and seeing all the smiles, and as much as I’ve laughed and cried in the last 10 minutes, I know it’s going to be an amazing expedition.”

The duo will spend five months with the Expedition 72 crew at the ISS conducting research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance tasks. They are scheduled to return with Wilmore and Williams in February of next year.

The Dragon capsule was launched using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which took off on Sept. 28 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX explained on social media that, “After today’s successful launch of Crew-9, Falcon 9’s second stage was disposed in the ocean as planned, but experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn.”

As a result, SpaceX mentioned that the second stage landed safely in the ocean but outside of the intended area. The company announced that Falcon 9 launches would be paused until the investigation into the incident was completed.

SpaceX stated, “We will resume launching after we better understand [the] root cause.”

Wilmore and Williams were initially expected to be away for only a week when they signed up for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test in June. By the time of their return next year, they will have spent over eight months in space.

On Aug. 24, NASA announced that Boeing’s Starliner was sent back to Earth empty due to safety concerns, with helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters identified by pilots on June 6.

The Starliner, designed to operate autonomously, had completed two uncrewed flights and returned to Earth without its crew on Sept. 6. NASA removed two astronauts from this SpaceX launch to accommodate Wilmore and Williams on the return trip.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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