The replacements for NASA’s two stuck astronauts launched for the International Space Station on Friday night, with a scheduled arrival set for late Saturday night.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying four astronauts who will replace Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been in orbit for nine months now.
Problems with the Boeing Starliner’s propulsion system during their initial flight made it to risky to fly home on the craft.
There will be a two-day handover before the old crew are due to begin their journey back to Earth. That would put them on course for a splashdown off the Florida coast late next week.