SpaceX Crew Capsules finally reached the International Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. more than a day after the explosion. They are there to provide an alternative to NASA’s two occupied astronauts.
The four new arrivals from the US, Japan, and Russia will spend the next few days learning about the space station from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. They will then secure themselves in their own SpaceX capsule later this week. One of the astronauts has been aboard the station since last year, concluding an unexpected extended mission that began last June.
Originally, Wilmore and Williams expected their space trip on Boeing’s first astronaut flight to only last a week. However, they have now spent nine months in space, waiting for the Starliner capsule while encountering numerous issues.
Upon arrival at the space station, Wilmore opened the hatch and rang the ship’s bells as the new astronauts floated in one by one, greeted with hugs and handshakes.
“It’s been a great day. It’s nice to see our friends arrive,” Williams reported to Mission Control.
Wilmore and Williams arrived in late September with a reduced crew of two, leaving two empty seats reserved on the crew. However, delays occurred when the new capsules needed extensive battery repairs, forcing the old capsules to be replaced and pushing the return home to mid-March.
Assuming the weather permits, the SpaceX capsules carrying Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts will detach from the space station before Wednesday and will land off the coast of Florida.
Currently, there are 11 astronauts stationed in the orbital labs, representing the US, Russia, and Japan.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
