The president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees—one of the unions that sued the Trump administration—praised the court's ruling on Thursday.
China is believed to execute more prisoners annually than all other countries combined, though the exact figures remain a closely guarded state secret.
With an annual salary ranging from $125,133 to $162,672, the astronauts could have earned between $93,850 and $122,004 in basic pay for their nine-month stay in space.