Current:Home > reviewsStuck NASA astronauts welcome SpaceX capsule that’ll bring them home next year-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Stuck NASA astronauts welcome SpaceX capsule that’ll bring them home next year
lotradecoin mobile app features View Date:2024-12-26 02:46:46
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday’s arrival of a SpaceX capsule.
SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday with a downsized crew of two astronauts and two empty seats reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will return next year. The Dragon capsule docked in darkness high over Botswana as the two craft soared 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Earth.
NASA switched Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX following concerns over the safety of their Boeing Starliner capsule. It was the first Starliner test flight with a crew, and NASA decided the thruster failures and helium leaks that cropped up after liftoff were too serious and poorly understood to risk the test pilots’ return. So Starliner returned to Earth empty earlier this month.
The Dragon carrying NASA’s Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agency’s Alexander Gorbunov will remain at the space station until February, turning what should have been a weeklong trip for Wilmore and Williams into a mission lasting more than eight months.
Two NASA astronauts were pulled from the mission to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the return leg.
NASA likes to replace its station crews every six months or so. SpaceX has provided the taxi service since the company’s first astronaut flight in 2020. NASA also hired Boeing for ferry flights after the space shuttles were retired, but flawed software and other Starliner issues led to years of delays and more than $1 billion in repairs.
Starliner inspections are underway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with post-flight reviews of data set to begin this week.
“We’re a long way from saying, ‘Hey, we’re writing off Boeing,’” NASA’s associate administrator Jim Free said at a pre-launch briefing.
The arrival of two fresh astronauts means the four who have been up there since March can now return to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule in just over a week. Their stay was extended a month because of the Starliner turmoil.
Although Saturday’s liftoff went well, SpaceX said the rocket’s spent upper stage ended up outside its targeted impact zone in the Pacific because of a bad engine firing. The company has halted all Falcon launches until it figures out what went wrong.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (135)
Related
- New York county signs controversial mask ban meant to hide people's identities in public
- Taylor Swift Rocks Glitter Freckles While Returning as Travis Kelce's Cheer Captain at Chiefs Game
- Daniel Craig opens up about his 'beautiful,' explicit gay romance 'Queer'
- Padres and Dodgers continue to exchange barbs and accusations ahead of NLDS Game 3
- Biden to designate 1908 Springfield race riot site as national monument
- Sally Field recounts her 'horrific' illegal abortion in video supporting Kamala Harris
- 106 Prime Day 2024 Beauty Products That Rarely Go on Sale: Your Ultimate Guide to Unmissable Deals
- RHONY Preview: How Ubah Hassan's Feud With Brynn Whitfield Really Started
- Ryan Reynolds on his 'complicated' relationship with his dad, how it's changed him
- The money behind the politics: Tracking campaign finance data for Pennsylvania candidates
Ranking
- Alabama Supreme Court authorizes third nitrogen gas execution
- Derek Carr injury update: Dennis Allen says Saints QB has 'left side injury'
- Dogs and cats relocated around the US amid Hurricane Helene: Here's where you can adopt
- Jason Kelce Claps Back at Critics Saying Travis Kelce's Slow Start on Chiefs Is Due to Taylor Swift
- Giants trading Jordan Phillips to Cowboys in rare deal between NFC East rivals
- Mark Wahlberg's Wife Rhea Durham Shares NSFW Photo of Him on Vacation
- Fantasy football Week 6: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- The Daily Money: America is hiring
Recommendation
-
Head of Theodore Roosevelt National Park departs North Dakota job
-
Opinion: Messi doesn't deserve MVP of MLS? Why arguments against him are weak
-
Takeaways from AP’s investigation into fatal police incidents in one Midwestern city
-
Alaska Utilities Turn to Renewables as Costs Escalate for Fossil Fuel Electricity Generation
-
51 Must-Try Stress Relief & Self-Care Products for National Relaxation Day (& National Wellness Month)
-
Flaming Lips member Steven Drozd's teen daughter goes missing: 'Please help if you can'
-
Hurricane Milton forces NHL’s Lightning, other sports teams to alter game plans
-
Education Pioneer Wealth Society: Transforming Wealth Growth through AI-Enhanced Financial Education and Global Insights