On June 5, pilot Sunita “Suni” Williams and commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore were aboard Boeing’s newest spacecraft for a test voyage to the International Space Station.
They were supposed to remain in orbit for eight days, but Starliner’s propulsion system malfunctioned, leaving them trapped for several months.
The two will not return to Earth until 2025, as NASA stated in August. SpaceX will now be in responsible of retrieving the astronauts during a Crew Dragon voyage.
After taking off on Saturday, the capsule was piloted by Russian Alexander Gorbunov and American Nick Hague. It arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday at 5.30 p.m. EDT (about 10.30 p.m. UK time).
As the capsule soared 260 miles above Botswana, NASA claimed it connected to the ISS in total darkness.
It will take until February of next year for Mr. Hague and Mr. Gorbunov to return with Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore, who will occupy two vacant seats that have been made apparent aboard Crew Dragon.
The two astronauts who are stuck in space will have been there for eight months by that point.
