SpaceX's spacecraft docks with space station to rescue stranded astronauts

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft carrying four crew members docked with the International Space Station (ISS) Sunday, a step closer to bringing home stranded NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore after nine months in space.  

The mission, codenamed Crew-10, carries NASA astronauts, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut and Roscosmos cosmonaut to the ISS. During their mission, Crew-10 is scheduled to conduct material flammability tests to contribute to future spacecraft and facility designs. 

Following a brief handover period, NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission will return to Earth no earlier than Wednesday, carrying the stranded duo, along with NASA astronaut and Roscosmos cosmonaut, NASA said. Williams and Wilmore have been stuck in space since last June due to technical problems of Boeing's Starliner which took them to the ISS.