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Stranded in Space: NASA is monitoring concerns of potential “overcrowding” on the International Space Station (ISS), where Boeing Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry (Butch) Wilmore are currently stranded, according to a New York Times report.
The United States space agency’s upcoming mission called ‘Crew-9’ is scheduled to take off for space on August 18, and its four astronauts will also land on the ISS after leaving Earth. However, the space station can house a total of three to six astronauts at a time.
According to the ANI report, the rotational mission could be delayed or cancelled due to the possibility of “congestion” until Williams and Wilmore are rescued. This could possibly make matters worse.
Increase in traffic on I.S.S.
NASA officials told NYT that August will see an “increase in traffic” on the ISS, but the situation seems to be “positive” and “a sign of progress”, the ANI report said.
“We’ve never had so many vehicles and so many options before. It complicates our lives, but in a really good way,” Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, told the NYT.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is currently docked at the ISS with Williams and Wilmore on board, who are on an extended mission due to technical problems in the Starliner’s propulsion system. Its return will be a priority to free up one of the two docking ports on the ISS. “I have to land a vehicle. And so our plan is to undock the Starliner first to free up the port,” Dana Weigel, ISS program manager at NASA, told the NYT.
Williams and Wilmore have been in space since June 6. But NASA and Boeing have yet to set a return date, leaving both in a state of uncertainty, as Bloomberg reported last month.
NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said mission managers are not ready to announce a return date, AP reported. “The goal is to get Wilmore and Williams back on Starliner. When we’re ready, we’ll return home. Backup options are being reviewed. NASA always has contingency options,” Stich said.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Mission: Crew-9
The next space mission supported by NASA will be SpaceX’s Crew Dragon or ‘Crew-9’, which is scheduled to launch by August 18. The mission will see four astronauts living on the ISS for six months, and is a rotational replacement to the current Crew Dragon mission to the space station.
But, before that happens, NASA and Boeing are trying to resolve the issue with the Starliner to clear the necessary docking port.
Steve Stich, program manager for NASA’s commercial crew program, and Mark Nappi, who leads Starliner efforts at Boeing, reported progress and expressed hope that technical improvements would be completed soon, the report said.
(with inputs from agencies)
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