A SpaceX mission successfully lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on September 28, 2024. It is heading to the International Space Station (ISS) to rescue two astronauts who have been stranded there since June 2024.
The mission is unique in that, while it carries two astronauts, NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, two seats on board the Dragon spacecraft will remain empty during the journey.
These empty seats will be reserved for veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck aboard the ISS due to malfunctions in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that was supposed to bring them home months ago.
“Our NASA wizards and our commercial and international partners have shown once again the success that comes from working together and adapting to changing circumstances without sacrificing the safe and professional operations of the International Space Station,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson commented.
The Starliner, Boeing’s latest crewed capsule, was on its first crewed test flight when a propulsion system issue raised concerns about its reliability, prompting NASA to leave it at the ISS for further investigation.
Despite the delays, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free expressed confidence in the mission’s objectives, stating during a press conference, “We recognize the uniqueness of this mission, given that it’s leaving Earth with two empty seats for the return journey.”
SpaceX’s role in ferrying astronauts back and forth from the ISS has only solidified its status as NASA’s go-to partner for crewed missions.
In 2014, NASA commissioned Boeing and SpaceX to develop a spacecraft to end reliance on the Russian Soyuz system for travel to the International Space Station. While SpaceX’s Crew Dragon completed its mission with the first inhabited flight in May 2020, Boeing’s Starliner program has faced delays due to technical issues.
Starliner’s first flight in December 2019 was cut short, and it successfully docked with the ISS for the first time in May 2022, though uncrewed. The June 2024 Boeing Crew Flight Test marked the first crewed mission of the CST-100.
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft undocked from ISS on September 6, 2024, before making its six-hour journey back to Earth.