NASA and SpaceX have successfully launched a long-awaited crew to the International Space Station (ISS), paving the way for the return of U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the orbital lab for nine months.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:03pm ET (11:03pm GMT) on Friday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts who will replace Wilmore and Williams. The pair, both veteran NASA astronauts and retired U.S. Navy test pilots, were the first to fly Boeing’s faulty Starliner capsule to the ISS last June.
