<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Just over a day after blasting off, a SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, delivering the replacements for </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/spacex-launches-a-new-crew-to-the-space-station-to-replace-nasas-stuck-astronauts/2269333c-a1d0-4e22-98af-0f0b8a548d2e" rel="" target="" title="NASA’s two stuck astronauts."><span>NASA’s two stuck astronauts.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The four newcomers — representing the US, Japan and Russia — will spend the next few days learning the station’s ins and outs from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Then the two will strap into their own SpaceX capsule later this week to close out an unexpected extended mission that began last June.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/stuck-in-space-what-happens-to-body/337e708e-3207-4901-958a-9ea3befd1799"><strong><span>Astronauts still stuck in space facing major physical and mental risks</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Wilmore and Williams expected to be gone just a week when they launched on Boeing’s first astronaut flight.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They hit the nine-month mark earlier this month.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Boeing Starliner capsule encountered so many problems that NASA insisted it come back empty, leaving its test pilots behind to wait for a SpaceX lift.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/nasas-stuck-astronauts-welcome-their-newly-arrived-replacements-to-the-space-station/b78583d7-26f3-4834-9f19-d2a660b8b995" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Their ride arrived in late September with a downsized crew of two and two empty seats reserved for the leg back.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/us-tariffs-on-australian-beef-could-drive-up-price-of-mcdonalds-in-usa/b24252e8-1d43-499f-bbda-5eedb8ee48cc"><strong><span>Tariffs on Aussie beef would drive up price of McDonald's in USA</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But more delays resulted when their replacements’ brand new capsule needed extensive battery repairs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An older capsule took its place, pushing up their return by a couple weeks to mid-March.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Weather permitting, the SpaceX capsule carrying Wilmore, Williams and two other astronauts will undock from the space station no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off Florida's coast.</span></div></div>