The International Space Station and the Expedition 72 crew have transitioned from an eventful summer into a more normal, operational routine in the last few months, although the Station has dealt with unexpected issues in recent weeks.
Station commander Suni Williams and her Boeing Crewed Flight Test crewmate Butch Wilmore, both veteran NASA astronauts and test pilots, were transitioned onto the Expedition 72 crew for a full tour of duty aboard ISS after NASA decided to return Starliner Calypso to Earth without the crew aboard following issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters. Crew Dragon Freedom flew the Crew-9 mission to the ISS with NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov in September, and will serve as Williams and Wilmore’s return spacecraft when the end of their mission arrives.