NASA removed two astronauts from its Crew-9 mission to allow for Williams and Wilmore to join the cohort, and return onboard the SpaceX Dragon − which carries four people at a time. The altered Crew-9 − only Hague and Gorbunov − launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom in late September.

Stranded US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to fly back to earth on Tuesday — ending their extended, nine-month stay in space. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams

SpaceX delivered a four-person crew to the International Space Station early Sunday, setting the stage for Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to depart.