A SpaceX capsule sent to bring back two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) has docked. The Dragon capsule, which has two empty seats for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, docked at 17:30 eastern time (22:30 BST).

A SpaceX crew on a rescue mission have arrived at the International Space Station, but it will still be some time before stranded Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can return back to Earth.

Two astronauts relinquished their seats on a four-person spacecraft so that their colleagues could return to Earth from the ISS, where they’ve been stuck since June.

SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday with two seats reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will return to Earth in 2025.

SpaceX crew arrived at the ISS to bring two stuck astronauts home. The crew will return to earth in February after a five-month mission.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon space capsule, which is due to bring home stuck astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams next year, arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, according to NASA and SpaceX.

The SpaceX Dragon, selected by NASA to transport astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore home, arrived Sunday at the International Space Station.

The Dragon capsule has two empty seats for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were only meant to be on the ISS for eight days, but were forced to remain there because of a fault discovered during the flight.

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.

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.