SpaceX Crew Capsule Delivers New Astronauts to ISS as NASA’s Wilmore and Williams Prepare for Return

A SpaceX crew capsule successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, delivering replacements for NASA’s two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who had been stranded due to a delayed return.

The four new astronauts, from the US, Japan, and Russia, will spend some time learning about the ISS from Wilmore and Williams before the two astronauts return to Earth later this week. They will board a SpaceX capsule that has been at the station since last year, marking the end of an unexpected extended mission that began last June.

Wilmore and Williams originally expected to spend just a week in space when they launched on Boeing’s first astronaut flight. However, due to multiple issues with the Boeing Starliner capsule, NASA ordered it to return empty, leaving the astronauts waiting for a SpaceX lift.

As the new crew arrived, Russian astronaut Ivan Vagner lightheartedly wore an alien mask, and Wilmore greeted the newcomers with hugs and handshakes. “It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive,” Williams said to Mission Control.

Wilmore and Williams’ return had already been delayed several times, first by issues with their replacement capsule’s battery, and then by a switch to an older capsule. Their return is now scheduled for mid-March.

Weather permitting, Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts will undock from the ISS early Tuesday, with plans to splash down off Florida’s coast later that evening. Until then, there will be 11 people aboard the station, representing the US, Russia, and Japan.