Stuck NASA Astronauts, Williams And Wilmore, Welcome SpaceX Capsule | WATCH

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stuck in space since June, on Sunday celebrated the arrival of a SpaceX capsule at the International Space Station. The Elon Musk-led company will bring the two back to Earth next year. SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday with a downsized crew of two astronauts and two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams.The Dragon capsule docked in darkness as the two craft soared 265 miles (426 kilometers) above Botswana. It arrived at the ISS late on Sunday. It is carrying NASA's Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agency’s Alexander Gorbunov, whowill remain at the space station until February. Read More: 'If Trump Is Not Elected, This Will Be Last Election...': Elon Musk's Big Claim For US Presidential PollsAs soon as the SpaceX capsule arrived at the space station, commander Sunita Williams seemed visibly excited. Once Hague and Gorbunov floated inside, they were embraced by the nine astronauts awaiting them. "I just want to say welcome to our new compadres," Williams exclaimed. Hague said it was a smooth flight up. "Coming through the hatch and seeing all the smiles, and as much as I've laughed and cried in the last 10 minutes, I know it's going to be an amazing expedition."Read More: Conyers BioLabs Fire: What Cause The Explosion In RockdaleThe ISS posted a video of Williams and Wilmore's reaction on social media."The official welcome! The Expedition 72 crew welcomed #Crew9, @NASAAstronauts Nick Hague, the Crew 9 commander and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, the crew 9 mission specialist, after their flight aboard the @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft," the NASA station said on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

The official welcome!

The Expedition 72 crew welcomed #Crew9, @NASAAstronauts Nick Hague, the Crew 9 commander and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, the crew 9 mission specialist, after their flight aboard the @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/pOa8sTQWDo

— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) September 29, 2024

NASA switched Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX following concerns over the safety of their Boeing Starliner capsule. It was the first Starliner test flight with a crew, and NASA decided the thruster failures and helium leaks that cropped up after liftoff were too serious and poorly understood to risk the test pilots’ return. So Starliner returned to Earth empty earlier this month. (With AP inputs)