SpaceX has successfully launched a mission to retrieve two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June. The Dragon capsule, carrying essential supplies and two empty seats for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 28.
Originally, Wilmore and Williams were only supposed to stay on the ISS for eight days. However, a fault in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft led to its return to Earth without crew members as a safety measure. To assist with the recovery, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov are traveling aboard the Dragon capsule, which is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Sunday at 21:30 GMT. The astronauts are expected to return to Earth in February.
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The mission had initially been delayed due to Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread damage across Florida and other southern states.
Despite the delay, SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, continues its regular practice of ferrying crews to and from the ISS every six months.
In a separate development, SpaceX is exploring a $15 billion investment in Vietnam to enhance its Starlink satellite internet services. This was announced after a meeting between SpaceX Senior Vice President Tim Hughes and Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary To Lam during his visit to the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly. The investment aims to improve internet access in Vietnam, which struggles with aging infrastructure and challenging terrain, potentially bridging the digital divide for many residents.
These efforts showcase SpaceX’s commitment to advancing both space exploration and global communication technologies.
