NASA’s decision to switch Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to SpaceX has extended their stay on the International Space Station (ISS). Originally scheduled for an eight-day mission, they will now remain on the station until late February.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, designated for the rescue mission of astronauts Williams and Wilmore, has successfully docked at the ISS. The capsule launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and docked at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed the successful docking, tweeting, “Dragon has reached @Space_Station.”
Williams, who has been promoted to commander of the ISS, welcomed the new arrivals, stating, “I just want to say welcome to our new compadres.”
The extended stay of Williams and Wilmore was necessitated by technical issues with the Boeing Starliner. The Starliner encountered thruster failures and helium leaks shortly after launch, prompting NASA to deem it too risky for the astronauts’ return.
NASA opted to use a SpaceX Crew Dragon to bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth, requiring adjustments to the crew manifest.
The arrival of Hague and Gorbunov means that four astronauts who have been on the ISS since March can now prepare to return to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule within the next week. This will restore the station’s crew size back to its normal seven members.
Hague acknowledged the challenge ahead, stating, “We’ve got a dynamic challenge ahead of us. We know each other and we’re professionals and we step up and do what’s asked of us.”
