NASA's astronauts, who have been unexpectedly stuck at the International Space Station, greeted their replacements after a SpaceX capsule successfully docked on Sunday. The new arrivals, hailing from the U.S., Japan, and Russia, will spend several days familiarizing themselves with the station under the guidance of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. These two astronauts are preparing to return to Earth later this week in a SpaceX capsule that has been stationed there since last year, concluding a mission that unexpectedly extended from its original schedule last June.
Wilmore and Williams initially embarked on a short mission aboard Boeing's first crewed flight, but due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner capsule, which had to return empty, they were left to await a SpaceX return trip. As the new crew floated into the station, Wilmore opened the hatch and rang the bell to welcome them with hugs and handshakes. Williams expressed her joy to Mission Control, saying it was wonderful to see their friends arrive.
The SpaceX capsule that brought Wilmore and Williams to the station arrived in late September with a smaller crew and two empty seats for their return. However, their journey back was delayed due to necessary battery repairs on their replacements' new capsule. An older capsule was used instead, postponing their return to mid-March. Weather permitting, the SpaceX capsule with Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts is scheduled to undock no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off the coast of Florida. Until then, the station will host 11 crew members from the U.S., Russia, and Japan.