SpaceX Crew Slated To Bring Home Stranded NASA Astronauts Expected To Launch This Weekend
The SpaceX Crew-9 mission is expected to depart for the International Space Station this weekend for a trip that will eventually bring home two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were left stranded in space by Boeing’s Starliner.
The SpaceX mission, which originally was slated with a four-member crew, was reduced to only two members to make room for the return trip with Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams — who have been marooned at the space station since early June after their trip to space on Boeing’s Starliner experienced thruster issues and helium leaks. Fearing for the pair’s safety, NASA decided to return the Starliner to Earth without a crew — it had a successful landing earlier this month — leaving Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams at the space station to await the SpaceX capsule.
Elon Musk to the rescue
The SpaceX mission, which originally was slated with a four-member crew, was reduced to only two members to make room for the return trip with Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams — who have been marooned at the space station since early June after their trip to space on Boeing’s Starliner experienced thruster issues and helium leaks. Fearing for the pair’s safety, NASA decided to return the Starliner to Earth without a crew — it had a successful landing earlier this month — leaving Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams at the space station to await the SpaceX capsule.
Elon Musk to the rescue
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