Space X’s Dragon arrives at the International Space Station to deliver stranded astronauts
Ship ‘Dragon’ belonging to the Crew-9 manned mission of SpaceX and NASA, reached couple successfully this Sunday afternoon at International Space Station with the goal of returning astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were trapped at the facility in early June after their ship suffered a series of malfunctions.
“NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday when SpaceX “Dragon Freedom” “It docked with the orbital complex at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time,” NASA said in a statement.
Both Hague and Gobunov will be part of Expedition 72, along with NASA crew members Matthew Dominic, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Pettitte, Williams and Wilmort, and Roscosmos crew members Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. will temporarily have eleven members until Dominic, Barratt, Epps and Grebenkin return to Earth in early October.
Two new astronauts arrived with two free seats on the ship are reserved precisely to ensure the return Williams and Wilmort in February 2025, they will finally complete their long-term mission, although their stay was planned for a week.
The Starliner spacecraft on which they took off on June 5 was damaged helium leaks after a successful docking, after which five of the 28 reaction control system engines failed en route to the orbiting laboratory. To avoid risks, it was decided to return the ship without a crew, leaving Williams and Wilmort trapped on the Station.