The NASA to Return Boeing’s Starliner to Earth Without Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on BoardThe two, stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 5 due to technical problems with the Starliner, the spacecraft built by Boeing, They will continue their mission as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew until February 2025 and then return home aboard a Dragon spacecraft. with two other crew members assigned to the mission SpaceXCrew-9. NASA reports. Starliner is expected to be able to leave the space station for autonomous reentry and landing in early September.
“Space flight is risky,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “A test flight, by its very nature, is neither safe nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner home is a reflection of our commitment to safety—our core value and our North Star.”
The SpaceX Crew-9 mission, originally scheduled for a four-member crew, will not launch until Sept. 24. NASA and SpaceX are now working on several aspects of launch preparation, including reconfiguring the seats on the Crew-9 Dragon and making modifications to carry additional cargo, personal effects, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams. NASA and SpaceX will use the new facilities at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to launch Crew-9.
The Crew-9 mission will be the ninth rotational mission to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew program, which partners with the U.S. aerospace industry to achieve the goal of safe, reliable, and affordable transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launched from American soil.