The International Space Station (ISS) has returned to full operational strength with the successful arrival of a new contingent of astronauts. This crew change came in the wake of a medical evacuation, a rare occurrence for NASA in its 65-year history of human spaceflight.
SpaceX successfully delivered four astronauts from the United States, France, and Russia to the ISS. These astronauts will replace colleagues who were forced to depart early due to health concerns, an event causing NASA to pause scheduled spacewalks and reduce ongoing research tasks temporarily.
NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot, and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev will undertake an eight to nine-month mission. Meir, notable for being part of the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, and her fellow astronauts bring varied expertise to their roles. The mission restores the ISS to its intended manpower of six full-time astronauts.
(With inputs from agencies.)