After months of uncertainty, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule on Sunday. Their mission aims to return astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded on the ISS since June 2024.
Upon arrival, Hague and Gorbunov were welcomed by the Expedition 72 crew, including Williams and Wilmore. The SpaceX launch, which took place on Saturday, is part of a rescue mission to bring the two astronauts home next year.
The docking occurred at 7:04 p.m. EDT after Hague and Gorbunov opened the hatch between the ISS and the pressurized mating adapter, followed by the hatch to the Dragon capsule, according to a statement from NASA.
The Expedition 72 crew, which includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Pettit, and the returning Wilmore and Williams, was ready to greet the new arrivals. The crew also included Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), NASA’s Johnson Space Center announced, “The official welcome! The Expedition 72 crew welcomed Crew 9, Commander Nick Hague and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov, after their flight aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.”
For a brief period, the number of crew members aboard the ISS increased to 11 until Crew-8 members Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin return to Earth in early October.
On Saturday, SpaceX launched a reduced two-man crew to the ISS, transporting supplies and leaving two seats vacant for Starliner astronauts awaiting their return in February. This follow-up mission came after an unplanned eight-and-a-half-month stay in orbit.
The launch, initially delayed by two days due to adverse weather conditions related to Hurricane Helene, successfully lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:17 p.m. EDT. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket followed a northeasterly trajectory aligned with the ISS’s orbital plane.
During the flight, Hague monitored the automated ascent alongside Gorbunov, who was making his debut in space travel.
Typically, Crew Dragons are equipped with four crew members; however, two Crew 9 astronauts—Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman—were removed from the mission in August to accommodate seats for Starliner commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams for their eventual return to Earth in February.
Williams and Wilmore had launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its inaugural crewed flight, arriving at the ISS the following day. However, a decision was made to return Starliner to Earth without its crew. The spacecraft successfully landed on September 6, following NASA’s assessment in August that it was “too risky” to bring Wilmore and Williams back aboard Starliner.
Continuing their work as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew, Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to return in February 2025. This mission, which was initially planned as a week-long test flight, has now been extended to nearly eight months.
“Wilmore and Williams will continue their work as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will return home aboard a Dragon spacecraft alongside two other crew members assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Starliner is expected to make a safe, controlled autonomous re-entry and landing in early September,” NASA stated in its announcement.