Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams who have been on the International Space Station (ISS) since June, after flying there on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test will have to stay there for a longer period until February 2025.
NASA has announced that they will bring their Boeing's Starliner spacecraft back to Earth without astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board. They have been busy supporting station research, maintaining systems and analysing data from Starliner.
This decision allows NASA and Boeing to gather more testing data on Starliner during its return flight while minimising unnecessary risks to the crew.
NASA said in a tweet, "After extensive review by experts across the agency, NASA's @BoeingSpace Crew Flight Test will return with an uncrewed #Starliner. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to return to Earth next spring aboard #Crew9."
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained that spaceflight is always risky, especially during test flights. The decision to keep the astronauts on the ISS and bring Starliner back uncrewed reflects NASA's strong commitment to safety.
Wilmore and Williams will continue their work on the ISS as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew until February 2025. They will return to Earth on a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Starliner is scheduled to leave the ISS and return to Earth autonomously in early September.
NASA and Boeing encountered issues with Starliner during its mission, including helium leaks and problems with the spacecraft's thrusters. Despite significant work and testing by engineering teams, NASA decided that the spacecraft did not meet their safety standards for human spaceflight. As a result, the astronauts will be moved to the Crew-9 mission instead.
Starliner has completed two previous uncrewed flights successfully, and NASA and Boeing will work together to plan the upcoming uncrewed return. The spacecraft must return to Earth before the Crew-9 mission launches to free up a docking port on the ISS.
The Crew-9 mission, now expected to launch no earlier than September 24, will include Wilmore and Williams. NASA and SpaceX are currently making adjustments to the spacecraft, including reconfiguring seats and preparing additional cargo.
The Crew-9 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which aims to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the ISS using American-made rockets and spacecraft. For over 20 years, the ISS has been a key platform for scientific research and technology development, helping NASA prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
