National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, have decided to return Starliner Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on SpaceX Crew Dragon in 2025.
In a major setback for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, NASA has announced that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will not be returning to earth aboard the troubled vehicle as originally planned. Instead, they will remain on the International Space Station, ISS, until February 2025 and then return home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
The decision comes after the Starliner experienced a series of technical issues, including helium leaks and thruster problems, during its flight to the ISS in June 2024. NASA and Boeing teams have been working to troubleshoot the problems, but ultimately determined it was too risky to bring the astronauts back on the Starliner.
“Decisions like this are never easy, but I want to commend our NASA and Boeing teams for their thorough analysis, transparent discussions, and focus on safety during the Crew Flight Test,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.
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The Starliner will now return to Earth uncrewed in early September for further analysis. NASA and SpaceX are working to reconfigure the Crew-9 Dragon mission to accommodate Williams and Wilmore’s return in February 2025, with the spacecraft launching in late September with only two astronauts instead of the usual four.
“Starliner is a very capable spacecraft and, ultimately, this comes down to needing a higher level of certainty to perform a crewed return,” said Steve Stitch, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “Our efforts will help prepare for the uncrewed return and will greatly benefit future corrective actions for the spacecraft,” he added.
The decision marks a significant setback for Boeing’s Starliner program, which was designed to provide NASA with a second option for transporting astronauts to the ISS after the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. However, the company has faced numerous challenges with the vehicle, including a failed uncrewed test flight in 2019 and the recent issues during the Crew Flight Test.
Despite the setback, NASA remains committed to the Commercial Crew Program and is working closely with both Boeing and SpaceX to ensure the safe and reliable transportation of astronauts to and from the ISS.
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