The first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has successfully completed its descent as its booster made a precise landing at the company’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This marks another milestone in SpaceX’s reusable rocket program, following the launch of the Crew-10 mission.
The space agency had launched a fresh crew to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday night. The mission is key to the much awaited return of stranded Nasa astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth after spending nine months on the International Space Station (ISS).
Earlier, the crew access arm retracted, and the Dragon spacecraft’s launch escape system was momentarily armed. This system ensured that the Crew-10 astronauts can escape safely in case of an anomaly from liftoff until they reach orbit.
The rocket passed through Max-Q, the point of highest pressure, before its first and second stages separated. The first stage then returned to Earth, landing smoothly at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1, as per space agency Nasa.
The new crew has been sent to replace Wilmore and Williams, who have spent more time on the ISS than originally planned. Their replacements are expected to arrive late on Saturday.
The new team Nasa’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov—blasted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX capsule as part of Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program.
The overlap will allow the astronauts to hand over duties before Wilmore and Williams return home.
Wilmore and Williams were originally launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule last June for a short test mission. However, technical issues like helium leaks and thruster failures, forced Nasa to delay their return, eventually deciding to bring them back on a SpaceX mission. Their return was further postponed due to battery repairs on a new SpaceX capsule, prompting the agency to use a refurbished one to speed up the process.
The duo is expected to undock next week and splash down off the Florida coast, depending on the weather circumstances.