NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro praised the achievement, emphasising its importance in strengthening American leadership in space and fostering growth in the national space economy.

Astronauts Sunita Williams, who grew up in Needham, and Butch Wilmore have been living on the space station since June after the Boeing Starliner capsule they arrived on experienced issues while docking.

The crew is expected to dock autonomously at the station's Harmony module on March 15 at around 11:30 pm EDT (9 am IST on Sunday).