NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams not returning from ISS this year. When and how will they reach earth?
NASA officials said on Wednesday that the two astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who are on a trip to the International Space Station (ISS) by Boeing's Starliner, could return on SpaceX's Crew Dragon in February 2025 instead if Starliner is still deemed unsafe to return to Earth. t was meant to be a weeklong trip to the ISS for the first NASA astronauts to fly with Boeing could extend to eight months
The U.S. space agency has been discussing potential plans with SpaceX to leave two seats empty on an upcoming Crew Dragon launch for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who became the first crew to fly Boeing's Starliner capsule to the ISS in June.
A final decision on whether to persist with Boeing's Starliner — which experienced concerning propulsion system problems as it flew up to the orbital platform in June — is expected later this month, officials said Wednesday in a call with reporters.
Also Read: Donald Trump leads over Kamala Harris among Jewish voters of New York. Will Democrat contender change stance on Israel- Hamas War?
Detailed planning is already under way with Boeing's rival SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, to potentially launch their scheduled Crew-9 mission in September with just two astronauts rather than the usual four.
The Crew Dragon capsule would then be able to return to Earth with Starliner's crew of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
Steve Stich, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, revealed that there had been intense discussions on the best way forward,
