SpaceX launches rescue mission for 2 astronauts

Unlike SpaceX's regular Commercial Crew Program missions to the ISS, the September 28 mission carried only two astronauts instead of four. The two astronauts brought to the station this time were Nick Hague (NASA) and his colleague Aleksandr Gorbunov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). The two remaining empty seats on the Crew Dragon Freedom were reserved for astronaut duo Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who arrived at the ISS on Boeing's Starliner on June 6.

SpaceX spacecraft 'rescues' two astronauts stuck on ISS space station

On September 7, the Starliner returned to Earth without its two passengers for safety reasons. According to Space.com, engineers spent months investigating the problems that occurred with Boeing's ship, from helium leaks to problems with the thrusters. Ultimately, NASA concluded that there were too many risks for the ship to face on the journey back to Earth. Therefore, the two astronauts Williams and Wilmore had to stay at the space station to wait for rescue. The fate of the Starliner in the near future is currently unknown.

NASA released images of the Crew Dragon Freedom launch on September 28

However, because NASA rotates personnel to the ISS every 6 months, astronauts Wilmore and Williams will have to wait until the end of February to return to Earth with the Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft. US officials said there was no other way to bring the two back to Earth sooner without affecting previously planned activities.

That means Wilmore and Williams will have spent more than eight months in space, compared to just a week when they agreed to join Boeing’s first crewed flight to the station on Starliner. The Starliner problems mean NASA is still in the same situation as it was four years ago, when SpaceX was the only one providing astronaut shuttle services to the station. Since 2014, both Boeing and SpaceX have contracted NASA for this service. In 2020, SpaceX began regular flights to the ISS, while Boeing struggled to meet the contract requirements.

To bring Williams and Wilmore home, NASA decided to use the two original members of Crew-9. Those are two American astronauts Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman, with Cardman being the commander of this mission. Russian member Gorbunov was retained, and Ms. Cardman handed over command to her colleague Hague, who was previously only the pilot of the Crew-9 mission. Crew Dragon Freedom successfully docked with the ISS yesterday, according to NASA.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/spacex-tien-hanh-su-menh-giai-cuu-2-phi-hanh-gia-185240929171011867.htm