- UK lawmaker quits Labour Party over PM's 'hypocrisy'
- Osasuna dismantle Barca's perfect Liga start
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Israel kills Hezbollah chief in Beirut strike
- Kane limps off as frustrated Bayern held by Leverkusen
- Springboks wore Pumas down with 'slow poison', says Erasmus
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- Ukraine says 10 killed in Russian strikes on hospital
- Bayern boss Kompany hopeful Kane will bounce back for Villa clash
- Kane injured as Bayern and Leverkusen draw in Bundesliga
- US grabs 8-6 lead after Saturday four-balls at Presidents Cup
- Liverpool go top of Premier League after Man City held by Newcastle
- Salah sinks Wolves as Liverpool go top
- Revived Vlahovic shoots Juve top with double at fan-less Genoa
- Arteta happy with Arsenal's cool heads in late Leicester win
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Progress on high seas treaty, but change still far off
- Hundreds rally in France in defence of abortion rights
- Seven-try South Africa crush Argentina to become champions
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- Russia's Lavrov warns Europe against 'suicidal escapade' in fiery speech
- Embattled Netanyahu buoyed by Hezbollah chief's killing: analysts
- Man City held without Rodri as Palmer's four-goal haul fires Chelsea
- Chelsea's Palmer hits four first-half goals to beat Brighton
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- Leipzig's young stars on song in big win over Augsburg
- Etzebeth becomes most-capped Springbok to thunderous applause
- Kopecky dedicates road race world title to deceased junior
- Martinez double at Udinese fires Inter level with Serie A leaders
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- In Acapulco and across Mexico, violence poses huge test for new president
- China warns against 'expansion' of Ukraine war
- 'Insane': Olympic champ Zheng joins Sabalenka in Beijing 3rd round
- Man City feel Rodri absence in Newcastle draw
- Israel kills Hezbollah chief in Beirut air strike
- England quick Archer cautiously optimistic after injury woes
- Sinner 'very disappointed' as doping case reignites with WADA appeal
- Hezbollah chief killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Hezbollah: powerful Lebanese armed group with regional role
- 59 dead in Nepal as downpours trigger floods
- Madrid can cover Mbappe injury absence in derby: Ancelotti
- Sinner 'surprised' as doping case reignites with WADA appeal
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- Israel says it killed Hezbollah chief in Beirut strike
- Ukraine says nine killed in Russian strikes on hospital
- WADA appeals, seeks ban as Sinner doping case reignites
- Sri Lanka scent series victory as New Zealand 129-5 after follow-on
- Clarke's two tries help All Blacks to 33-13 win over Wallabies
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
A SpaceX rocket soared into the sky Saturday with two passengers on board, leaving two seats empty to return American astronauts who have been stranded for months on the International Space Station, NASA said.
The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 1:17 pm (1717 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It used a new launch pad, the pad's first use for a crewed mission.
"Congrats to @NASA and @SpaceX on a successful launch," NASA chief Bill Nelson said in a post on X. "We live in an exciting period of exploration and innovation in the stars."
On board were NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.
When they return from the space station in February, they will bring back two space veterans -- Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams -- whose stay on the ISS was prolonged for months by problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.
The newly developed Starliner was making its first crewed flight when it delivered Wilmore and Williams to the ISS in June.
They were supposed to be there for only an eight-day stay, but after problems with the Starliner's propulsion system emerged during the flight there, NASA was forced to weigh a radical change in plans.
- 'A bit unique' -
After weeks of intensive tests on the Starliner's reliability, the space agency finally decided to return it to Earth without its crew, and to bring the two stranded astronauts back home on the SpaceX mission Crew-9.
"We know that this launch is a bit unique in moving from the plan for crew members to two," NASA associate administrator Jim Free told reporters.
"I do want to thank SpaceX for their support and flexibility."
SpaceX, the private company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has been flying regular missions every six months to allow the rotation of ISS crews.
But the launch of Crew-9 was delayed from mid-August to late September to give NASA experts more time to evaluate the reliability of the Starliner and decide how to proceed.
It was then delayed a few more days by the destructive passage of Hurricane Helene, a powerful storm that roared into the opposite coast of Florida on Thursday.
SpaceX's Dragon vessel is set to dock with the ISS on Sunday around 2130 GMT.
After allowing a handover of duties, the four members of Crew-8 will return to Earth on another SpaceX craft.
In total, Hague and Gorbunov will spend some five months on the ISS; Wilmore and Williams, eight months.
In all, Crew-9 will conduct some 200 scientific experiments.
C.Garcia--AMWN