A SpaceX mission has soared into the skies, embarking on a crucial task to unite astronauts aboard the International Space Station with the spacecraft that will one day carry them back to Earth. NASA's Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have surpassed their expected stay by over 100 days, as they await the return flight scheduled for 2025.

The SpaceX mission, named Crew-9, lifted off at 1:17 p.m. ET on Saturday, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch had been postponed from Thursday due to Hurricane Helene's threat to Florida and the southeastern United States. Once the storm passed, mission teams swiftly reset the launchpad.

In a deviation from the standard NASA Commercial Crew Program flights, which SpaceX has successfully executed eight times, this mission carries only two crew members instead of four. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are the passengers on this trip. The empty seats are reserved for Williams and Wilmore, who will return in the same spacecraft in 2025. This arrangement is part of a contingency plan adopted by NASA in late August after the Boeing Starliner capsule was deemed too risky for crew return.

Williams and Wilmore had initially embarked on a weeklong test flight aboard the Starliner in early June. However, due to issues with helium leaks and thruster outages, NASA declared the vehicle unsuitable for crew return. The future of Boeing's Starliner flights remains uncertain.

With SpaceX as the sole provider for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the space agency had to get creative. Two members were removed from the Crew-9 team to make room for the Starliner test pilots. NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman were reassigned, with Cardman handing over command of the mission to Hague.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft, nicknamed Freedom, launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The 1.2 million-pound rocket system was propelled into the air by nine engines. The first stage of the Falcon 9 detached after 2 ½ minutes, making way for the second stage to ignite and push the Crew Dragon to over 17,000 miles per hour.

In a display of SpaceX's commitment to sustainability, the first stage returned to land on a pad in Florida, ready for refurbishment and future reuse. The Crew Dragon, now in orbit, will autonomously navigate to link up with the International Space Station,预计到达时间为周日傍晚5:30。

Hague expressed his gratitude on NASA's livestream after the launch, acknowledging the many people involved with the Falcon 9 and praising the "sweet ride."

Williams and Wilmore have fully integrated into the space station's daily life, with Williams even taking on the role of commander. They have transitioned from a test mission schedule to full-time duties, despite the disappointment of missing family events back on Earth.

The arrival of Gorbunov and Hague will bolster the crew's numbers. Wilmore has adopted a pragmatic view of the extended stay, stating, "I'm not gonna fret over it. There's no benefit to it at all." Williams, too, has found joy in her extended mission, describing space as her "happy place."

The successful docking of the Crew Dragon will mark another milestone for SpaceX and bring Williams and Wilmore one step closer to their eventual return to Earth.