Col. Nick Hague, a Space Force Guardian and NASA astronaut, launched Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida alongside Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov as part of the SpaceX Dragon Crew-9 mission.

Because NASA rotates space station crews approximately every six months, this newly launched flight with two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams won’t return until late February. Officials said there wasn’t a way to bring them back earlier on SpaceX without interrupting other scheduled missions.

A SpaceX crew set to bring home two stranded astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 29.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket experienced an issue during the Crew-9 astronaut launch on Sept. 28, and the company will stand down from liftoffs while figuring out what happened.

The Falcon 9's second stage missed its target in the ocean due to a problematic rocket burn, prompting the company to delay further launches.

NASA engineers are running checks to solve the mystery of why the Falcon 9's engine failed to perform a routine maneuver to lower the rocket's altitude.

After their weeklong journey turned into a monthslong stay on the International Space Station, two Boeing Starliner astronauts are now within reach of the spacecraft that will eventually bring them home.