Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams arrived at the ISS in June aboard the Boeing Starliner, and they will now remain on the station until February 2025.
Instead of returning on Starliner, they will come back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft,
NASA’s decision to return Starliner uncrewed stems from recent technical challenges.
NASA has announced that Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth without astronauts aboard. For those unaware, the Starliner carried astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams on an eight-day mission starting June 5. However, issues with the spacecraft, including thruster failures and helium leaks, extended their stay on the International Space Station (ISS).
Let’s delve into the details.
Wilmore and Williams arrived at the ISS in June aboard the Boeing Starliner, and they will now remain on the station until February 2025. Instead of returning on Starliner, they will come back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is part of the Crew-9 mission scheduled to launch no earlier than September 24.
Also read: Sunita Williams is stuck in space, but her husband says it’s her ‘happy place’
NASA’s decision to return Starliner uncrewed stems from recent technical challenges. During its approach to the ISS, the spacecraft experienced issues with helium systems and reaction control thrusters. Despite extensive efforts to address these problems, NASA determined it was safer to conduct an uncrewed return for additional testing and data collection.
“Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The uncrewed Starliner is expected to make a controlled, autonomous landing in early September. NASA and Boeing will work together to adjust end-of-mission planning and Starliner’s systems to set up for the uncrewed return in the coming weeks
Also read: NASA astronauts face extended stay in space, Sunita Williams’ return may be delayed until 2025
“Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission,” NASA said.
NASA and SpaceX are currently working on several items before launch, including reconfiguring seats on the Crew-9 Dragon, and adjusting the manifest to carry additional cargo, personal effects, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams.
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Ayushi Jain
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