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Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will ‘return next February,’ NASA said Saturday, Aug. 24, outlining its plan to return the Starliner astronaut crew to Earth. Two astronauts from the flawed Boeing mission will return to Earth with SpaceX, NASA confirmed.
“NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with Crew 9 next February, and Starliner will return without a crew,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters.
The update on Boeing’s first manned Starliner test flight comes as Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are about to complete 80 days on what was initially an eight-day mission.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who launched to the International Space Station aboard Starliner on June 5, had their mission extended by more than two months while Boeing and NASA investigate helium leaks and thruster problems on the spacecraft.
Also read: NASA will give a big update on Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams today. When and where to watch
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and the leadership team conducted an internal test flight readiness review for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test on Saturday, Aug. 24.
NASA and Boeing collected data from both space and on Earth regarding the Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion and helium systems to better understand ongoing technical challenges.
The review included an update of the mission status, a review of technical data and closing tasks, as well as certifying the flight’s justification for undocking and return from the space station.
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NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test launched on June 5 on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This is an end-to-end test of the Starliner system under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is one of two commercial vehicles selected by NASA to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station under its Commercial Crew Program.
Also read: Can ISRO help save Sunita Williams? S Somanath says…
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is another.
So far in 2020, SpaceX has conducted nine crewed missions for NASA along with several private ventures. In contrast, Boeing’s Starliner is currently on its first crewed mission, known as the Crew Flight Test, which marks the start of at least six planned crewed flights under their multibillion-dollar contract for NASA.
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