Space travel Recovery operation launched for two stranded astronauts on ISS

A SpaceX rocket with two astronauts on board was launched into space on Saturday. It lifted off from a new launch pad at the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida, according to the US space agency NASA.

The Falcon 9 rocket is to carry US astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov to the International Space Station (ISS).

Their Dragon capsule is scheduled to dock with the ISS at around 10.30 p.m. on Sunday evening. The two free seats in the spacecraft are reserved for US astronaut Butch Wilmore and his colleague Suni Williams, who have been on the ISS since June and are now due to return to Earth with Hague and Gorbunov in February.

Wilmore and Williams reached the ISS on June 6 in a Starliner space capsule from the US aerospace company Boeing and were supposed to return eight days later. It was the first manned flight of the space capsule, which had been delayed for years due to technical difficulties.

Docking problems

During docking with the ISS, however, problems occurred with the capsule's thrusters, which are needed for precise maneuvering. Helium leaks were also discovered before the launch and during the flight.

The Boeing Group did try to convince NASA of the safety of the capsule. However, the US space agency decided to have the two astronauts brought back to Earth in SpaceX's Dragon space capsule - but not until February 2025. Wilmore and Williams will therefore have to stay in space eight months longer than originally planned.

In contrast to Boeing, SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by tech multi-billionaire Elon Musk, has been successfully transporting astronauts to the ISS and back since 2020.

SDA