SpaceX launches a mission to rescue Boeing Starliner crew still in space

SpaceX launched a mission to bring the two Boeing Starliner astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) back to earth. 

NASA reported that the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft left the Florida station at about 1:17 p.m. ET on Saturday. 

It will take the crew about 28.5 hours to reach the ISS, according to The Hill.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are the two astronauts who have been at the station since June. They were the first astronauts on Boeing's crewed mission to space. 

Boeing's Starliner capsule encountered thruster failures and helium leaks that required the spaceship to be docked at the ISS while engineers evaluated a new computer model for the thrusters. 

The astronauts won't be back to earth until February.