SpaceX launched a reduced two-man crew to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, carrying supplies and two empty seats for Starliner astronauts awaiting a return home in February after an unplanned eight-and-a-half-month stay in orbit,

The latest SpaceX Crew 9 mission is carrying two astronauts instead of four to bring both stranded members of NASA, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, back to Earth.

Boeing has struggled with a variety of issues over the years, repeating a Starliner test flight with no one on board after the first one veered off course.