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NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore blasted off to the International Space Station on June 5 – the mission was to spend eight days in space and then return to Earth. They now plan to stay in space for eight months, and possibly return in 2025 – missing out on summer, Christmas and New Year celebrations with family and friends, reports BBC.
The astronauts, Williams, 58, and Wilmore, 61, launched aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft that discovered problems before the return trip, leaving them in limbo aboard the ISS until NASA finds a solution.
Future proceedings
In a press briefing on August 7, NASA officials said that “no firm decisions” have been made on the next step, reports BBC. Speaking to the media, Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, said, “Our main option is to send Butch and Suni back on Starliner. However, we have planned for the expected to ensure that we have other options open as well.”
According to the report, one such “option” being considered is attaching Williams and Wilmore to the SpaceX Crew Dragon mission, which will return to Earth in February 2025.
The Crew-9 mission is scheduled to lift off for space on August 18 and will carry four astronauts to the ISS. If NASA plans to bring back two astronauts that way, the mission will be changed to carry only two astronauts from Earth. The Starliner spacecraft will then be guided back to Earth unmanned by computers, he said.
But, overall this will mean that Williams and Wilmore will have spent more than eight months in space — much longer than their original eight-day trip.
NASA officials expect to make a “final” decision in a week or so, the BBC reports.
“Based on what’s happened over the last week or so, the possibility of returning without Starliner to Earth has increased a little bit. So we’re looking at that option more closely to make sure we can handle it,” NASA Director of Space Operations Ken Bowersox told reporters on Aug. 7.
Big blow to Boeing
The astronauts’ return using a SpaceX spacecraft would be a “blow” to Boeing, the report said, adding that the airline maker was hoping to follow up a successful trip with Starliner and secure regular missions for its capsule.
Boeing has been competing for several years with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which has been approved for NASA missions from 2020.
It is noteworthy that the SpaceX rocket also delivered additional food, clothing and supplies to the ISS earlier this week, as Williams and Wilmore will be there for a long time.
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