The Falcon 9 rocket launched last night from the American company SpaceX, bringing astronauts stranded at the International Space Station one step closer to returning home after a nine-month wait.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched from Earth aboard the Boeing Starliner last summer and were scheduled to return eight days later, but the Starliner was deemed unsafe due to a fault in its pressurization system.
The Falcon 9 launch was scheduled for Thursday but was postponed due to a malfunction.
SpaceX and NASA launched the Falcon-9 last night at around 7 p.m. local time. The Dragon spacecraft carries a crew of four to replace Wilmore, Williams and two other astronauts at the International Space Station.
According to NASA's latest update, everything is going according to plan and the Dragon spacecraft has separated from the Falcon-9 rocket.
The Dragon spacecraft is expected to arrive at the space station this evening, and if successful, the astronauts are expected to head home on Wednesday.
