SpaceX capsule retrieves astronauts amid starliner safety concerns
Two astronauts who have been on the International Space Station (ISS) since June, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, welcomed the SpaceX capsule on Sunday, which will enable their return to Earth. The rescue mission was carried out by SpaceX, which launched the Dragon capsule with a crew of two astronauts and two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams.
NASA decided to transfer Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX after concerns were raised about the safety of their Boeing Starliner capsule.
Starliner's first crewed test flight failed due to engine malfunctions and helium leaks, prompting NASA to decide not to return the test pilots to Earth with that capsule. Starliner returned to Earth without a crew at the beginning of this month.
The Dragon capsule, carrying NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, will remain at the station until February, extending Wilmore and Williams' mission to over eight months. Two NASA astronauts were removed from the mission to make space for the returning pair.
SpaceX, which has provided transportation services for NASA since the first crewed flight in 2020, is facing a significant problem. On Saturday, the upper stage of the rocket landed outside the designated area in the Pacific due to an engine malfunction. The company suspended all Falcon rocket launches until the cause of the failure was determined.
Astronauts to return to Earth. End of mission for the crew from March
The arrival of new astronauts means that the four-person crew stationed on the ISS since March can return to Earth within a week. Their stay was extended by a month due to problems with the Starliner.
"The Independent" reports that the SpaceX mission was carried out successfully despite some technical issues.
