Two astronauts finally know their fate after NASA formally announced it would send them back to Earth on a SpaceX craft.
NASA launched Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in early June 2024, crewed by astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The mission to the International Space Station was originally meant to take around eight days to complete in a best-case scenario.
It didn’t take long for helium leaks and thruster-control problems to quickly put that timeline in jeopardy as the astronauts were unable to fix the Starliner’s issues.
‘Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine.’
Now, after more than two months with their astronauts stranded at the ISS, NASA finally announced it will accept help from Elon Musk’s SpaceX Dragon Crew-9 to bring Wilmore and Williams home safely.
However, the SpaceX craft hasn’t even launched yet. Crew-9 was initially meant to launch for the ISS on August 18, 2024, but has since been pushed back to no earlier than September 24, 2024, per Spaceflight Now.
As well, the mission operated by the rival company will not be returning until February 2025 at the earliest. This means the NASA astronauts will have spent at least eight extra months in space than originally intended.
Boeing representatives did not appear at a NASA press conference, CNN reported, but later released a statement:
“We continue to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return,” the defense and space contractor wrote on X.
NASA, on the other hand, was more forthcoming in its statements:
“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,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said at the presser. “I’m grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work.”
These comments were quite a jump from NASA’s statements in early August 2024, which made it seem like they were hoping to avoid a crossover with SpaceX.
“Our prime option is to complete the mission,” NASA program manager Steve Stich said at the time. “There are a lot of good reasons to complete this mission and bring Butch and Suni home on Starliner. Starliner was designed, as a spacecraft, to have the crew in the cockpit.”
Boeing even said in a blog post on August 2 that the company’s “confidence remains high” that the Starliner would make its return trip with its crew.
“We remain confident in Starliner and its ability to safely return to Earth with crew based on an abundance of testing conducted by our teams and NASA in space and on the ground,” Boeing wrote on X.
Of course, NASA and Boeing eventually agreed with the situation and accepted the ride home from the Musk-owned craft. SpaceX had reportedly been testing for scenarios with additional astronauts in early August, anyway.
The Crew-9 flight will leave two empty seats and a pair of space suits for Williams and Wilmore so they can join the ISS mission and then eventually return home.
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