SpaceX launches rescue mission for astronauts stuck in space after Boeing's Starliner malfunctioned

SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home, but not until next year.

NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov are tasked to retrieve Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were initially expected to be gone just for a week when they signed up for Boeing’s first astronaut flight that launched in June.

Since 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.