SpaceX to launch craft that will bring back stranded astronauts

SpaceX is set to launch the spacecraft that will carry back the two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station .

The Crew Dragon will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday at 1:17 p.m. with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard.

The stranded astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, will go back to Earth in February with their soon-to-be new crew mates. Wilmore and Williams have been stuck on the ISS since June, when Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft delivered them there. The spacecraft would go on to suffer mechanical issues critical enough to require it to return to Earth without them on Sept. 7.

The flight was originally supposed to carry four crew members, but only Hague and Gorbunov would ride on the spacecraft, with Williams and Wilmore in mind. NASA has delayed the CREW-9 launch multiple times with weather often a highly analyzed subject for the space agency during launches.

Hurricane Helene, which recently devastated Florida and several other Southern states, caused the most recent delay.

NASA said weather officials informed them earlier this week that they had a 55% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch.

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Boeing, whose Starliner spacecraft contributed to the astronauts' stranding, has been under immense pressure in recent weeks. The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced its findings on the company, which said they prioritized speed over quality in production.

“The FAA will continue our aggressive oversight to hold Boeing accountable and ensure the company fixes its systemic production-quality issues,” the FAA said. “Administrator Mike Whitaker has made it clear ‘this won’t be back to business as usual for Boeing.’”