A SpaceX mission has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), preparing to return two astronauts who were stranded on the orbiting laboratory. The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday and docked with the ISS at 5:30 pm on Sunday.

Upon completing the docking, Hague and Gorbunov boarded the ISS, where they were greeted by the station commander, Suni Williams. Williams, along with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, had been stranded on the ISS since June 2024 after their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft experienced propulsion system issues. Originally, the two astronauts were scheduled for only an eight-day stay on the ISS, but NASA had to revise plans after problems emerged with the Starliner.

NASA ultimately decided to return the Starliner to Earth without its crew, opting instead to bring Williams and Wilmore back on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in February 2025. The Crew-9 mission marks another step in SpaceX’s continued role in supporting ISS crew rotations, with the private company providing regular missions every six months.

The Crew-9 mission, initially scheduled for mid-August, was delayed multiple times to assess the Starliner’s reliability and later due to Hurricane Helene’s passage through Florida. Hague and Gorbunov are expected to stay on the ISS for five months, while Williams and Wilmore will conclude their eight-month stint when they return to Earth.

The crew will conduct approximately 200 scientific experiments during their stay, furthering NASA’s research goals in space exploration and international collaboration.