A SpaceX capsule carrying a new crew has successfully connected with the International Space Station (ISS), allowing astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to prepare for their return to Earth.
The two astronauts were originally supposed to stay on the ISS for just eight days but due to technical problems with the spacecraft they arrived on, their mission was extended to over nine months.
As per multiple outlets, approximately 29 hours after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday evening, the Crew-10 astronauts' SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully connected to the International Space Station (ISS) at 4:04 AM GMT on Sunday, March 16.
Related: SpaceX Crew-10 launches for NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams' return
NASA's commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, expressed his happiness about their upcoming return which is expected to take place later this week.
Live footage showed the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully docking with the International Space Station (ISS) and opening its hatch.
Video showed astronauts entering the ISS and greeting their fellow crew members with hugs while floating in zero gravity.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, along with their fellow ISS crew members will be replaced by four new astronauts.
The new Crew-10 team, expected to stay on the ISS for about six months, includes two Americans, Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, one Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and one Russian astronaut Kirill Peskov.
Related: NASA astronauts stuck in space for nine months finally returning home
For the next few days, these four newcomers will be trained by Butch and Suni.
