The crew-swap mission will enable NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return home from the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The replacements for NASA’s two stuck astronauts launched to the International Space Station on Friday night, paving the way for the pair’s return after nine long months.

The team, which includes NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russia's Kirill Peskov, took off from Kennedy Space Center in a SpaceX capsule early this morning. They will arrive at the ISS tomorrow. This mission will pave the way for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams's return after a nine-month stay in space.