Nasa on Wednesday said that if Boeing‘s Starliner spacecraft remains unsafe for returning astronauts to Earth, then those aboard the International Space Station may need to use SpaceX‘s Crew Dragon for their journey home in February 2025.
As Nasa considers various options for bringing the experienced astronauts home, one possibility under consideration is utilising a Crew Dragon capsule to bring Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back.
The Starliner spacecraft, which launched in June, successfully sent the two astronauts aboard the International Space Station as part of a crucial test mission.
However, the mission’s duration, originally anticipated to span approximately eight days, has been extended due to a series of issues with Starliner’s propulsion system. Boeing and Nasa have been working to resolve these problems and get the mission back on track.
Earlier Nasa announced a delay in SpaceX’s upcoming crewed mission, pushing the launch date from August to September 24. Wilmore and Williams, reached their two-month milestone on the space station on Tuesday. The pair should have returned to Earth by the middle of June.
(With inputs from agencies)
As Nasa considers various options for bringing the experienced astronauts home, one possibility under consideration is utilising a Crew Dragon capsule to bring Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back.
The Starliner spacecraft, which launched in June, successfully sent the two astronauts aboard the International Space Station as part of a crucial test mission.
However, the mission’s duration, originally anticipated to span approximately eight days, has been extended due to a series of issues with Starliner’s propulsion system. Boeing and Nasa have been working to resolve these problems and get the mission back on track.
Earlier Nasa announced a delay in SpaceX’s upcoming crewed mission, pushing the launch date from August to September 24. Wilmore and Williams, reached their two-month milestone on the space station on Tuesday. The pair should have returned to Earth by the middle of June.
(With inputs from agencies)