Quick Hit: 

SpaceX's Crew Dragon arrived at the International Space Station to rescue two Boeing astronauts who have been stranded for months after a malfunction grounded their Starliner capsule.

Key Details:  

• SpaceX's Crew Dragon docked at the ISS on Sunday, carrying NASA's Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.  
• Boeing astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stranded since June 5 due to a Starliner malfunction.  
• The return trip for Wilmore and Williams is scheduled for February, marking the end of their extended mission.

Diving Deeper: 

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, marking the start of a critical mission to rescue two Boeing astronauts who have been stranded since June. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov led the five-month mission, which will bring Boeing’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth after their Starliner capsule malfunctioned.

The Crew Dragon docked with the ISS at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, and at 7:04 p.m., the astronauts entered the station, reuniting with Wilmore, Williams, and the rest of the ISS crew. Wilmore and Williams had been trapped on the ISS for months due to thruster failures and helium leaks in their Starliner capsule, forcing NASA to return the spacecraft to Earth without them.

The Boeing astronauts' mission, originally planned to last just eight days, was severely disrupted by the technical issues that grounded their Starliner on June 5. Their extended stay on the ISS raised concerns, and the rescue mission led by Hague and Gorbunov became necessary.

Despite the Crew Dragon's successful launch from Cape Canaveral on Saturday, SpaceX reported that the Falcon 9 rocket encountered a problem during its deorbit burn. While the rocket safely landed in the ocean, it missed the targeted area, leading SpaceX to announce a pause on all Falcon 9 flights until the issue is fully investigated.

The stranded Boeing astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the Crew Dragon in February, finally bringing an end to their unintended long-term stay in space.