SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday with a downsized crew of two astronauts and two empty seats reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will return next year.

SpaceX initiated a mission to retrieve astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams from the ISS following safety concerns with their Boeing spacecraft. Nasa’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov are tasked with bringing them back early next year.

After months of uncertainty, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, travelling in the SpaceX Dragon capsule, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday to bring back Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore,