Current:Home > FinanceNASA Boeing Starliner crew to remain stuck in space until 2025, will return home on SpaceX -AssetScope
NASA Boeing Starliner crew to remain stuck in space until 2025, will return home on SpaceX
View
Date:2025-04-12 15:40:14
NASA leaders announced Saturday that the two Boeing Starliner astronauts, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, are officially looking at a lengthy eight-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
Wilmore and Williams will have to wait it out until February after a flight readiness review determined that it's too risky for them to return to Earth on the Boeing spacecraft, NASA leaders announced Saturday.
The decision means the Starliner will return emptyhanded to Earth to free up a docking port for SpaceX Crew-9, which is scheduled to reach the space station on Sept. 24 for a six-month rotation mission. The Dragon capsule that Crew-9 will take to orbit is also now Williams and Wilmore's ride home.
"The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is result of a commitment to safety," NASA's Administrator Bill Nelson said during the news conference. "Our core value is safety, and it is our North Star. And I'm grateful to NASA and to Boeing, for their teams, for all the incredible and detailed work to get to this decision."
During the news conference, NASA's administrators said that safety is their main priority, but the government agency plans to use this experience as an opportunity to learn.
"I'll tell you that the NASA and Boeing team have made incredible technical progress in the model development that has gone on, the thruster testing, understanding material properties within the valve and the complicated fluid physics that are happening inside," NASA's Associate Administrator Jim Free said. "We are a learning organization, and I think we've demonstrated that here. We'll learn from this effort so that our crews who are at the top of the pyramid on these missions and their families can continue to know we've done that, and we'll always do our best."
The decision brings to an end the mystery surrounding the fate of Williams and Wilmore, the veteran NASA astronauts who arrived June 6 at the orbital outpost for what was supposed to only be a stay of little more than a week.
'Stuck' in space?Starliner astronauts aren't 1st to have extended stay; Frank Rubio's delayed return set record
What happened with the Boeing Starliner?
Some of the troubles began even before Starliner finally managed to launch on June 5 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its inaugural crewed test flight.
Wilmore and Williams were only meant to be aboard the International Space Station for a little more than a week before heading back to Earth. But when they made it to the orbital outpost a day after the launch, engineers discovered a slew of helium leaks and problems with the craft's propulsion system that hampered Starliner's return to Earth.
Amid the scramble to figure out what to do about Starliner, NASA previously made the call to postpone the launch of SpaceX Crew-9.
That mission had been slated to take off earlier in August in a routine flight to replace the Crew-8 mission that's been at the space station since March. But because the four Crew-9 members can't arrive on a SpaceX Dragon until the docking port occupied by Starliner becomes available, that mission now won't launch any sooner than Sept. 24, NASA has said.
The delay gave the engineering and spaceflight specialists from NASA and Boeing time to collect and analyze Starliner data in preparation for the flight readiness review.
But it also means Starliner will still have to undock before the Dragon capsule arrives to make an autonomous return to Earth without its crew. Because Wilmore and Williams now find themselves in need of a ride back to the ground, Crew-9 will include just two members instead of four, NASA said.
The Starliner crew will then return on Feb. 25 with Crew-9 on the Dragon after the SpaceX astronauts complete their six-month rotation at the station.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest
veryGood! (1882)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Oregon hospital hit with $303M lawsuit after a nurse is accused of replacing fentanyl with tap water
- Another heat wave headed for the west. Here are expert tips to keep cool.
- Kristin Juszczyk Shares Story Behind Kobe Bryant Tribute Pants She Designed for Natalia Bryant
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- 1,000-Lb. Sisters' Amy Slaton Allegedly Had Mushrooms and Cannabis on Her When Arrested After Camel Bite
- How Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White First Reacted to Ryan Seacrest Replacing Pat Sajak
- Taylor Fritz reaches US Open semifinal with win against Alexander Zverev
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- 2 Phoenix officers shot with 1 listed in critical condition, police say
Ranking
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Kim Kardashian Reveals Son Saint Signed “Extensive Contract Before Starting His YouTube Channel
- Inmate awaiting execution says South Carolina didn’t share enough about lethal injection drug
- Police in Hawaii release man who killed neighbor who fatally shot 3 people at gathering
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Takeaways from AP’s report on JD Vance and the Catholic postliberals in his circle of influence
- Atlanta mayor proposes $60M to house the homeless
- Rapper Eve Details Past Ectopic Pregnancy and Fertility Journey
Recommendation
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
Jools Lebron filed trademark applications related to her ‘very demure’ content. Here’s what to know
Variety of hunting supplies to be eligible during Louisiana’s Second Amendment sales tax holiday
Nordstrom family offers to take department store private for $3.76 billion with Mexican retail group
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
A decomposing body was found in a nursing home closet
Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran Details Her Next Chapter After Split From Devin Strader
Federal judge decries discrimination against conservative group that publishes voters’ information