September 28th 2024.
On Saturday, SpaceX launched a mission to rescue two astronauts who were stuck at the International Space Station. The astronauts, Nick Hague from NASA and Alexander Gorbunov from Russia, had been stranded since earlier this month when their Boeing spacecraft returned to Earth without them due to safety concerns. To retrieve them, a downsized crew was sent up in a capsule that rocketed into orbit.
Originally, Hague and Gorbunov were supposed to retrieve their fellow astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, but due to a switch in rides, they were now the ones in need of rescue. However, since NASA rotates space station crews every six months, Wilmore and Williams would have to wait until late February to be brought home. This new flight, with two empty seats reserved for them, would not return until then. NASA officials explained that it was not possible to bring them back earlier without disrupting other scheduled missions.
By the time Wilmore and Williams return, they will have spent more than eight months in space, far longer than the week they had originally signed up for when they joined Boeing's first astronaut flight in June. However, NASA ultimately decided that Boeing's Starliner was too risky after experiencing thruster troubles and helium leaks on its journey to the space station. As a result, two astronauts were cut from this SpaceX launch to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the return trip.
In the meantime, Williams has been promoted to commander of the space station, which will soon return to its normal population of seven. Once Hague and Gorbunov arrive this weekend, the four astronauts who have been living there since March can leave in their own SpaceX capsule. However, their homecoming was delayed by a month due to the issues with the Starliner spacecraft.
Hague, who was chosen as commander for the rescue mission due to his experience and handling of a launch emergency six years ago, acknowledged the constant changes in human spaceflight. He stated that there is always something that is changing, and this time it may have been more visible to the public.
Rookie astronaut Zena Cardman and veteran space flier Stephanie Wilson were originally part of this flight, but were replaced by NASA in favor of using SpaceX to bring the stuck astronauts home. However, NASA stated that both Cardman and Wilson would still be eligible for future missions. Gorbunov, on the other hand, remained under an exchange agreement between NASA and the Russian Space Agency.
Before liftoff, Hague paid tribute to his two colleagues who were left behind, calling them "unbreakable." Once in orbit, he thanked everyone who made the mission possible, describing it as a "sweet ride." Despite the challenges of launching with half a crew and returning with two astronauts trained on a different spacecraft, Hague stated that they are professionals and will step up and do what is asked of them.
SpaceX has been the leader in NASA's commercial crew program for years, completing 10 crew flights for the space agency. On the other hand, Boeing has faced numerous challenges, including a test flight that had to be repeated with no one on board after the first one went off course. The Starliner spacecraft that left Wilmore and Williams in space landed safely in the New Mexico desert on Sept. 6 and has since returned to Kennedy Space Center. Last week, Boeing's defense and space chief was replaced.
The latest SpaceX launch was originally delayed due to Hurricane Helene, but it marked the first time astronauts were launched from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX has been using the old Titan rocket pad for satellite launches for nearly two decades, while also using Kennedy's former Apollo and shuttle pad next door for crew flights.
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