Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams and her NASA colleague Butch Wilmore will now return to Earth next year with help from Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in June on Boeing’s Starliner, will now come back to Earth next year with help from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Their return was delayed because of problems with the Starliner’s thrusters. NASA announced that they will return in February, and the Starliner will come back without any crew on board. NASA’s Bill Nelson said this decision is all about keeping safety as the top priority.
“Space flight is always risky, even when it’s considered safe or routine,” he told reporters. “A test flight, by its very nature, is not safe or routine.”
Boeing’s Starliner Setbacks:
After several delays, Boeing’s Starliner took off on June 5 with astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are both former military test pilots. However, the next day, as Starliner was nearing the space station, NASA and Boeing found helium leaks and problems with the spacecraft’s thrusters.
Hugs all around! The Expedition 71 crew greets Butch Wilmore and @Astro_Suni aboard @Space_Station after #Starliner docked at 1:34 p.m. ET on June 6. pic.twitter.com/wQZAYy2LGH
— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) June 6, 2024
During the flight, five of Starliner’s 28 thrusters failed, and it developed several helium leaks. Despite these issues, it managed to dock with the space station, which has been hosting astronauts for over 20 years.
NASA was worried that the Starliner might not have enough power to return to Earth. So, they decided to have the two astronauts return on a SpaceX mission and send the Starliner back without any crew.
NASA said that sending Starliner back without a crew will let them and Boeing collect more data while avoiding extra risks for the astronauts. Starliner will undock from the ISS without any crew in early September.
NASA will return @BoeingSpace's #Starliner to Earth without @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the spacecraft.
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) August 24, 2024
The uncrewed return allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on Starliner during its upcoming flight home, while also not… pic.twitter.com/wkXX0qQXkq
How SpaceX Will Assist Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s Return
In an unusual change for NASA, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will now return to Earth on Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The SpaceX Crew-9 mission will launch in late September after the Starliner has left, freeing up a docking port on the ISS.
This mission will carry just two passengers instead of the planned four to make room for Williams and Wilmore.
In February, the SpaceX spacecraft will bring the two astronauts back to Earth along with its crew.
- NASA announced that Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth in February 2025 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon flight.
- This decision is a setback for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was initially planned to bring the astronauts back.
- The change comes after Starliner had mechanical issues during its first crewed mission to the ISS in June.
- Due to these risks, NASA chose SpaceX for the astronauts’ return instead of relying on Starliner.
- NASA will return Starliner to Earth without Williams and Wilmore onboard.
- NASA administrator Bill Nelson emphasized that safety is a top priority and influenced the decision.
- Williams and Wilmore, who arrived at the ISS on June 6, were supposed to stay for about a week but now face an extended eight-month stay.
- Boeing is facing multiple setbacks, including recent problems with a 737 Max 9 jetliner.
- The company is losing over $1 billion a month due to ongoing issues and a backlog of new planes awaiting parts.
- Boeing’s troubles add to a series of difficulties and lawsuits affecting the manufacturer.
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