Hera launched Oct. 7 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, on a mission to study the asteroid that NASA's DART spacecraft smashed into in September 2022.

SpaceX and the European Space Agency will launch a mission on Monday to an asteroid's moon. NASA tried to knock off its path in 2022 to see if it could be done.

Because NASA rotates space station crews approximately every six months, this newly launched flight with two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams won’t return until late February. Officials said there wasn’t a way to bring them back earlier on SpaceX without interrupting other scheduled missions.

The Federal Aviation Administration could approve a license for the launch of SpaceX's Starship 5 as soon as this month, a source told Reuters on Tuesday. Last month, the FAA said it did not expect a determination on a license before late November.

The Federal Aviation Administration may issue SpaceX its next Starship license in time for a Sunday launch attempt, CNBC has learned.

SpaceX announces fifth flight test, pending FAA approval