SpaceX docks at ISS to take Starliner astronauts home next year

Space Daily ^ | Sept 30, 2024 | AFP Staff Writers

[Salman]

The SpaceX crew that will ferry back in February two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station docked with the orbiting laboratory on Sunday, a live stream of the mission showed.

The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 1:17 pm (1717 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Saturday, with the Crew-9 mission aboard a Dragon spacecraft making contact with the ISS at 5:30 pm Sunday.

After docking was completed, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov boarded the station just after 7:00 pm, embracing their floating colleagues.

"I just want to say welcome to our new compadres from Dragon Freedom," said station commander Suni Williams, who is one of the two stranded astronauts.

"Alex, welcome to the International Space Station, and Nick, welcome back home," she said.

When Hague and Gorbunov return from the space station in February, they will bring back space veterans Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose stay on the ISS was prolonged for months due to problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.

...

[Salman]

The next installment of the Boeing space soap opera.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

What a relief for the stranded Astronauts! A Good News morning for a change. :)

[SunkenCiv]

launch (replay)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw-1B24-p4E

[HYPOCRACY]

That station must be ripe.

[al baby]

Id pack my bags and go sit in that thing and say ok I wanna go home NOW!!!!!

[Openurmind]

Now they really got an outhouse problem... How many now? Six?

[Openurmind]

“That station must be ripe.”

Lol, my first thought too. The portapotty is going to get full fast. Cause and effect.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

The ISS is designed for seven occupants.

[TheThirdRuffian]

Reports are that it smells like a jail: antiseptic, garbage, and body odor.

[HYPOCRACY]

I wonder if they flush it out in space and make crap satellites.

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting.

[HYPOCRACY]

We can make our own ring around the earth.

[Erik Latranyi]

We have more humans in orbit today than at any time in the history of mankind

[Openurmind]

I didn’t know that, thank you.

[Sacajaweau]

I'm sure they will be trying on the new space suits and made familiar of all the components.

Prayers for their safe return.

[HYPOCRACY]

Cool. Thanks.

[Sacajaweau]

Every time I read about these space adventures, I think of a book I read in college - “Canticle of Leibowitz”. The last page is the zinger.

[rktman]

Your uber is here. You just can’t use it for 5 months. Three hour tour my butt!

[Mark17]

Good question.

[jcon40]

Musk must be stopped.... Sang a few freaks and propagandists.