SpaceX rocket launched to the ISS – repatriation operation for two stranded astronauts

Spacex rocket launched to ISS

The mission for two astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station since June has been launched. Two astronauts are on their way to the ISS and will arrive on Sunday evening.

Published: September 28, 2024, 10:26 p.m

The Spacex rocket lifts off from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida.

Photo: Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich (EPA, Keystone)

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A Spacex rocket with two astronauts on board launched into space on Saturday. They lifted off from a launch pad at the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida, as the new US space agency Nasa announced. The Falcon 9 rocket is intended to carry US astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov to the International Space Station (ISS).

Your Dragon capsule is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Sunday evening around 10:30 p.m. 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 scheduled to return to Earth with Hague and Gorbunow in February.

Delay due to technical difficulties

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

However, when docking with the ISS, problems occurred with the capsule’s thrusters, which are needed for precise maneuvering. Helium leaks were also discovered before takeoff and during the flight.

The Boeing Group tried to convince NASA of the safety of the capsule. However, the US space agency decided to have the two astronauts returned to Earth with 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, the space company Spacex, founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has been transporting successful astronauts to the ISS and back since 2020.

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topicnews · September 29, 2024

SpaceX rocket launched to the ISS – repatriation operation for two stranded astronauts

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