NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are aboard the International Space Station (ISS), will return to Earth in early 2025. This will take place on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft after the Boeing Starliner ship on which they were to descend turned out to be faulty. This was announced by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the social network X, reports UNN.
Details
“Spaceflight is risky, even in the safest and most routine cases. A test flight is inherently neither safe nor routine. Our decision to keep Butch and Sweeney aboard the space station and return the Starliner home without a crew is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value,” Nelson said.
The astronauts are expected to return to Earth in February 2025 aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon, which will launch to the ISS in September as part of a crew rotation mission. Two of the four seats on Crew Dragon will remain free for Wilmore and Williams, and the Starliner will return to Earth without a crew.
Recall
In June 2024, the Starliner test mission, which was supposed to last about eight days, was extended due to problems with the ship's propulsion system. These technical problems raised doubts about the Starliner's ability to safely return the crew to Earth.
A Boeing spokesperson confirmed that the company will take the necessary steps to set up the Starliner for a crewless return if NASA decides to change the mission.
SpaceX, the company of American billionaire Elon Musk, is a direct competitor of Boeing in the field of space flight.