Cape Canaveral, Florida: SpaceX has initiated its mission to rescue two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June. The Dragon capsule, featuring two vacant seats for Butch Wilmore and Sunitha Williams, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 28th of September.
The duo’s mission at the space station was initially intended to last around eight days. However, a fault was discovered in the new Boeing Starliner, leading to an empty return to Earth as a precaution.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov are traveling with fresh supplies for Wilmore and Williams, and they anticipate bringing the stranded astronauts back home in February. The Dragon is anticipated to dock with the ISS on 29th of September at approximately 21:30 GMT.
Butch and Sunita keep their interactions frequent from the ISS. Recently, they spoke in a Q&A session, expressed their feelings about the prolonged stay and the challenges they faced from the unexpected decision they had to take. Also, both of them will be putting down their votes from the ISS in the upcoming US elections.
Founded by billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX has been transporting crews to and from the ISS every six months. The Dragon launch was originally planned for 26th of September, but was postponed due to Category 4 storm Hurricane Helene, which has caused significant damage across Florida and extended north through Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. A state of emergency was declared in Florida at the time.
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