Updated Sep 30, 2024, 18:05 IST NASA astronauts welcome SpaceX capsule Photo : AP SpaceX Crew-9 mission successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, September 29, 2024, marking a key step in returning two astronauts stranded on the ISS. A live stream of the mission showed the Dragon spacecraft making contact with the ISS at 5:30 pm, following the Falcon 9 rocket's launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday at 1:17 pm (1717 GMT). After docking was completed, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov boarded the ISS at around 7:00 pm. They were warmly greeted by their fellow astronauts on the space station. Both Hague and Gorbunov will spend around five months aboard the ISS, continuing vital scientific research. NASA deputy administrator Pam Melroy, during a news conference, described the day as “fabulous.” However, a key focus of the mission is to bring back astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose planned stay was prolonged by months due to issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The Starliner, which was making its first crewed flight in June, experienced problems with its propulsion system, leaving NASA no choice but to change its plans. Originally, Wilmore and Williams were only scheduled for an eight-day stay on the ISS, but NASA had to send the Starliner back to Earth without its crew after weeks of intensive testing showed reliability concerns. SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission was subsequently tasked with their return to Earth. The launch of Crew-9 was initially postponed from mid-August to late September, giving NASA more time to assess the Starliner’s reliability. Additional delays occurred due to Hurricane Helene, which swept through Florida days before the scheduled launch. In total, the Crew-9 mission will be conducting approximately 200 scientific experiments while aboard the ISS. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, continues to play a vital role in NASA's crew rotations, ensuring consistent scientific progress aboard the space station with regular six-month missions. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Technology Science and around the world.