SpaceX on Saturday begined a Falcon rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday with two crew members on board to deinhabitr the Dragon capsule to the International Space Station that will transport back the astronauts stranded by their troubled Boeing Starliner next year.
In June, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams begined on the Starliner, which suffered thruster problems and helium leaks, leaving the space agency to end returning them to Earth in the capsule after what was presumed to be an eight-day mission was too hazardous.
The crewless Starliner eventuassociate landed in New Mexico earlier this month, while Wilmore and Williams remained on the space station.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov begined from the Kennedy Space Caccess on Saturday’s mission with two desoprocrastinateed seats on Dragon that will transport Wilmore and Williams home in February.
BOEING STARLINER UNDOCKS FROM SPACE STATION, HEADS BACK TO EARTH UNMANNED AS CREW STAYS BEHIND
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of two lifts off from begin pad 40 at the Kennedy Space Caccess in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Two astronauts were cut from the SpaceX mission to produce room for Wilmore and Williams.
Once Hague and Gorbunov get to at the space station Sunday afternoon, four other astronauts who were procrastinateed a month by Starliner’s problems will return to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule.
“There’s always someleang that is changing,” Hague shelp before the begin of the evolving nature of space missions. “Maybe this time it’s been a little more apparent to the unveil.”
NASA astronaut Nick Hague, right, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov depart the Operations and Checkout produceing for a trip to the begin pad 40 at Kennedy Space Caccess in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday. (AP Photo/Chris O’Mearaj)
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy called “human spacefweightless” “complicated and vibrant” at a post-begin novels conference Saturday.
“What a amazing day it was today,” she shelp. “We only have two crew members instead of four. A crew member alter is not a petite leang.”
She inserted that “it was the right leang to do.”
NASA ASTRONAUT SAYS STARLINER CREW LIKELY TO CHANGE EXERCISE ROUTINE DURING EXTENDED ISS STAY
Melroy shelp the two astronauts who were cut from the mission were there to emotionassociate help Hague and Gorbunov at the begin.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, both Expedition 71 Fweightless Engineers, produce pizza aboard the International Space Station’s galley findd inside the Unity module on Sept. 9. (NASA via AP)
“The International Space Station is unbelievable, it’s a reassociate exceptional place,” she inserted, saying it “permits people to “see beyond gravity” and to produce technologies to spendigate the whole solar system.
After they accomplish the space station, Hague and Gorbunov will be doing hundreds of “exciting experiments,” including studying human cells and blood clotting.
Dana Hutcherson, deputy program regulater of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, shelp he was “charmd to alert Nick and Aleksandr are protectedly in orbit” after an “incredibly fine” begin and are anticipateed to land at the space station around 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, left, and NASA astronaut Nick Hague travel inside a SpaceX capsule en route to the International Space Station after begining from the Kennedy Space Caccess in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday. (NASA via AP)
“The crew is getting out of their suits at this time,” Hutcherson shelp, inserting that Gorbunov and Hague would be getting some rest and a meal in the capsule before preparing for docking operations.”
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After docking on the ISS, they’re anticipateed to have a greet ceremony.
The Associated Press gived to this alert.
