Rebecca Kesby

But the spacecraft they arrived on, made by aerospace company Boeing, suffered technical problems. so NASA had to find another way to get the astronauts home. They opted for the next scheduled SpaceX flight, extending Butch and Sonny's mission until now. The pair will now spend the next few days handing over to the new crew before they can finally begin their journey back.

It has been a bit of a saga, but it's not that unusual for rockets to be delayed. And it wasn't actually a problem with the rockets. It was a problem with the ground-based system that launches the rockets. So the launch was delayed. The NASA officials took the decision to do that. And it now looks like it's probably going to be rescheduled.

It has been a bit of a saga, but it's not that unusual for rockets to be delayed. And it wasn't actually a problem with the rockets. It was a problem with the ground-based system that launches the rockets. So the launch was delayed. The NASA officials took the decision to do that. And it now looks like it's probably going to be rescheduled.

friday and late in the evening uk time when it goes up but as you say butch and sunny you know they were supposed to be on there for just over a week and they've been there for more than nine months already but actually a few more days isn't going to make much difference and once the rocket why it's important it's actually carrying the replacement crew for butch and sunny so when the astronauts the four astronauts who are going to eventually go up when they finally do arrive there'll be a brief handover and then

friday and late in the evening uk time when it goes up but as you say butch and sunny you know they were supposed to be on there for just over a week and they've been there for more than nine months already but actually a few more days isn't going to make much difference and once the rocket why it's important it's actually carrying the replacement crew for butch and sunny so when the astronauts the four astronauts who are going to eventually go up when they finally do arrive there'll be a brief handover and then

Butch and Sonny can come home. They can return to Earth. And that'll probably be on Wednesday if it goes up on Friday. But so many ifs. It's a movable feast.

Butch and Sonny can come home. They can return to Earth. And that'll probably be on Wednesday if it goes up on Friday. But so many ifs. It's a movable feast.

Yeah, and as you say, Nick, a lot of money is being talked about and also really ambitious projects for new high tech in military hardware. But how fast realistically are they going to be able to get any of this together?

Yeah, and as you say, Nick, a lot of money is being talked about and also really ambitious projects for new high tech in military hardware. But how fast realistically are they going to be able to get any of this together?

So obviously there's a lot of unity within the EU, but not everybody is singing from the same hymn sheet. I'm just seeing a line here now. This is coming from Reuters news agency saying that the EU leaders agree a statement in support of Ukraine without Hungary. We know that Hungary does have quite a different stance on the situation in Ukraine and I think Slovakia has also had some hesitancy.

So obviously there's a lot of unity within the EU, but not everybody is singing from the same hymn sheet. I'm just seeing a line here now. This is coming from Reuters news agency saying that the EU leaders agree a statement in support of Ukraine without Hungary. We know that Hungary does have quite a different stance on the situation in Ukraine and I think Slovakia has also had some hesitancy.

A rare spectacle in the night sky.

A rare spectacle in the night sky.

This year we've already been treated to several of the major planets in the night sky at the same time. And at the end of this week we'll have an even rarer treat when Mercury joins the planet parade, meaning all seven of the great planets will be visible in the night sky at the same time. Most of them actually even visible with the naked eye.

This year we've already been treated to several of the major planets in the night sky at the same time. And at the end of this week we'll have an even rarer treat when Mercury joins the planet parade, meaning all seven of the great planets will be visible in the night sky at the same time. Most of them actually even visible with the naked eye.

So you will want to go out shortly after sunset because Saturn, Mercury and Venus are all very close to the sun right now, while Jupiter and Mars are further to the east. And so to capture all of them in the short window I really recommend going out just after sunset.

So you will want to go out shortly after sunset because Saturn, Mercury and Venus are all very close to the sun right now, while Jupiter and Mars are further to the east. And so to capture all of them in the short window I really recommend going out just after sunset.

We only see this kind of alignment once a decade or so, but to actually see them in this specific order there in the night sky is more like something that would happen every hundred years or so. Furthermore, we actually don't have the full moon, including our view of any of the planets at the end of the week, so we actually have a dark sky as well.

We only see this kind of alignment once a decade or so, but to actually see them in this specific order there in the night sky is more like something that would happen every hundred years or so. Furthermore, we actually don't have the full moon, including our view of any of the planets at the end of the week, so we actually have a dark sky as well.

In most of the world we'll be able to see this, unless you're at the very, very furthest north latitudes, you'll be able to be treated to this show. Astronomer Rebecca Allen.