SpaceX has reported that the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed in the ocean as planned but outside of the designated area.
Over the weekend, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) to retrieve two astronauts who had been stranded since June due to issues with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.
Two additional seats on the capsule were reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose Boeing spacecraft returned to Earth empty earlier in the month after NASA deemed it unsafe for flight.
After the capsule’s hatch was opened around 7 p.m. ET, Hague and Gorbunov entered the space station and were greeted by the NASA crew at the ISS, including Wilmore and Williams.
The duo will spend five months with the Expedition 72 crew at the ISS conducting research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities. They are scheduled to return with Wilmore and Williams in February of next year.
“As a result, the second stage landed safely in the ocean but not within the intended area.”
SpaceX has decided to halt Falcon 9 launches temporarily until an investigation into the incident is completed.
“We will resume launches once we have a better understanding of the root cause,” the company stated.
Wilmore and Williams initially expected to be away for just a week when they joined NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test in June. By the time they return next year, they will have spent over eight months in space.
The Starliner, designed to operate autonomously and having completed two uncrewed flights, returned without its crew on Sept. 6. NASA removed two astronauts from this SpaceX mission to accommodate Wilmore and Williams on the return journey.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
