Two days after a scrubbed launch, a replacement space station crew was cleared for blastoff Friday. (NASA | CNN)
Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Two days after a scrubbed launch, a replacement space station crew was cleared for blastoff Friday.
The crew’s mission is to help get stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams finally home after nearly 10 months in space.
NASA said it wants overlap between the two crews so Wilmore and Williams can fill in the new crew on happenings aboard the International Space Station.
The duo will then be brought back by astronauts who flew on a rescue mission on SpaceX last September alongside two empty seats reserved for them.
Takeoff Friday occurred for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just after 7 p.m. ET.
Concerns over a critical hydraulic system arose less than four hours before the Falcon rocket’s planned Wednesday evening liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The four astronauts awaited a final decision that night, with SpaceX ultimately canceling the flight and rescheduling for Friday.