Following several delays, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched off from Florida on Friday, with the two astronauts ready to return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS).
The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams set out on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission, but due to technological difficulties, their stay became nine months.
The pair will be replaced by a team of four astronauts transported to orbit aboard the SpaceX rocket, who are expected to arrive late Saturday evening.
The Crew-10 mission was initially scheduled to launch from Florida on Wednesday, however, ground issues – notably that the brand new capsule needed extensive battery repairs – forced a delay.
It comes days after a SpaceX rocket was seen to explode mid-air, sending burning schrapnel across the sky, with onlookers across the world – and in the air, capturing the burning debris on camera.
The duo will be escorted back by astronauts who flew up on a rescue mission on SpaceX last September alongside two empty seats reserved for Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams on the return leg.
Reaching orbit from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre, the newest crew includes Nasa’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, both military pilots, and Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s, Kirill Peskov – both former airline pilots.
They will spend the next six months at the space station, considered the normal stint.
As test pilots for Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams expected to be gone just a week or so when they launched from Cape Canaveral on June 5.
A series of helium leaks and thruster failures marred their trip to the space station, setting off months of investigation by Nasa and Boeing on how best to proceed.
Eventually ruling it unsafe, Nasa ordered Starliner to fly back empty last September and moved the astronauts to a SpaceX flight due back in February.
To save a few weeks, SpaceX switched to a used capsule, moving up Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams’ homecoming to mid-March.
