Return of Stranded Astronauts: SpaceX's Crew Dragon to the Rescue
Astronauts' Rescue Mission Reaches International Space Station - Rescue operation for isolated astronauts successfully reaches International Space Station
Yo, astronauts Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore are about to kiss the Earth goodbye, but not before partying with a fresh crew on the International Space Station (ISS). On Sunday morning, SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, owned by tech magnate Elon Musk, docked with the ISS at around 5:04 AM CET, approximately 420 kilometers above the Atlantic Ocean. The livestream from NASA showed the new arrivals giving their fellow astronauts a warm welcome.
The new crew, known as "Crew 10", will replace the "Crew 9", and they're not just any joe schmo's. This team consists of US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. The launch was initially planned for last Wednesday, but a hydraulic issue on the ground forced a delay that was eventually resolved.
The "Crew 9", featuring Williams, Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, have been holding down the fort since late September for Williams and early June for the others. They were supposed to return to Earth by this week, but with the arrival of the "Crew 10", they'll be hanging out with their new pals for a while longer. But don't count on a carefree stay, for bad weather could cause further delays.
Say goodbye to Hague and Gorbunov, as they've been riding the ISS since September. But don't worry, they jumped ships and took a ride on SpaceX's Starliner spacecraft in July. Unfortunately, their journey was far from smooth. Originally designed by Boeing under NASA's contract to transport astronauts to the ISS, the Starliner project has seen its fair share of setbacks and delays.
The Starliner was meant to be an alternative to SpaceX's Crew Dragon, but the poor guy just couldn't catch a break. Its test flights have been delayed multiple times due to technical issues. In fact, an uncrewed test flight in December 2019 failed to reach the correct orbit and didn't dock with the ISS. Another uncrewed test flight in May this year mostly succeeded but still revealed issues with thrusters and wiring.
Ye olde Starliner finally concluded its mission by landing empty in New Mexico back in August. Luckily, Williams and Wilmore had already made it to the ISS aboard the Crew Dragon in June, securing their spots on the astronaut A-List. Both veterans of space travel, Williams and Wilmore are in their mid-50s and have already braved the unknown galaxies twice. Here's to hazardous missions and successful returns!
- Suni Williams
- Barry Wilmore
- ISS
- Space
- NASA
- Crew Dragon
- SpaceX
- International Space Station
- Outer space
- Nick Hague
- Alexander Gorbunov
- Sunday
- Elon Musk
- Atlantic Ocean
'I'm not going to be a big fan of the idea of a "S" in the name of the SpaceX's Crew Dragon, as it may cause confusion with the Starliner spacecraft, despite both being used to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).'
'On Sunday morning, while Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore were celebrating their warm welcome back to the International Space Station (ISS), the dragon-named spacecraft, Crew Dragon, docked with the ISS, owned by tech magnate Elon Musk.'
'Despite facing setbacks and delays, SpaceX's Crew Dragon successfully docked with the ISS, allowing Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams to embrace a safe return to Earth after their hazardous mission in outer space.'
