will not return to Earth until 2025<\/strong>, with SpaceX now in charge of rescuing the astronauts on a Crew Dragon flight.<\/p>\nThe US’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov are on board the capsule which blasted off on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n
Mr Hague and Mr Gorbunov will not return with Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore – who will take two empty seats made clear on Crew Dragon – until February next year.<\/p>\n
By then, the two stranded astronauts will have been in space for eight months.<\/p>\n
Speaking before take-off, Mr Hague said: “There’s always something that is changing [with spaceflight].<\/p>\n
“Maybe this time it’s been a little more visible to the public.”<\/p>\n
Arriving in Cape Canaveral last week, he also said: “We’ve got a dynamic challenge ahead of us.<\/p>\n
“We know each other and we’re professionals and we step up and do what’s asked of us.”<\/p>\n
NASA deputy program manager Dina Contella said the two astronauts watched the SpaceX launch from the ISS, with Ms Williams cheering “go Dragon!”<\/p>\n
Boeing’s Starliner undocked from the ISS<\/strong> and flew back to Earth in September without the crew. It suffered multiple thruster failures and propulsion-system helium leaks on its way to the station.<\/p>\nAnd in a news conference from space the same month, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore said the space station had become their “happy place”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n“That’s how it goes in this business,” she said, adding that “you have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity”.<\/p>\n
Mr Wilmore also added: “It’s been quite an evolution over the last three months, we’ve been involved from the beginning through all the processes of assessing our spacecraft.<\/p>\n
“And it was trying at times. There were some tough times all the way through.”<\/p>\n
Crew Dragon is set to dock with the ISS by 10.30pm on Sunday. A live stream will be available on NASA’s website.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This post appeared first on sky.com<\/div>\n
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