The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on Saturday, August 24th, that Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is set to return to Earth. The two astronauts onboard, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who were initially scheduled for an 8-day mission, will now have to wait until February next year to return. Their space mission has undergone changes as a result.
NASA revealed that after spending over 11 weeks in space due to technical issues, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft from its first crewed test flight on June 5th will soon return to Earth. Meanwhile, astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams will continue to stay on the space station until February 2025.
The agency announced that these two astronauts will eventually return aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is set to launch on September 24th for NASA’s ninth routine mission to the International Space Station.
Wilmore and Williams were initially planned to spend a short 8-day duration in orbit. However, the planned return was delayed due to helium leaks and thruster malfunctions discovered on the Starliner spacecraft.
While unexpected extensions of astronauts’ stays at the space station are not uncommon in history, for Wilmore and Williams, this dramatic change brings inconvenience, especially since they departed without personal hygiene items and other necessities. NASA decided to have them forego luggage to make room for an important device before liftoff.
So, what will Williams and Wilmore be doing in the next 5 to 6 months?
As reported by CNN, they are currently not official crew members of the International Space Station. However, by joining SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft team, they are expected to become full-time NASA astronaut explorers, undertaking typical astronaut missions such as spacewalks, maintaining the orbital laboratory, and conducting busy scientific experiments outside the space station.
NASA had previously confirmed that the Starliner astronauts were prepared for this transition.
Dana Weigel, the Project Manager of the International Space Station program at NASA, stated during a briefing on August 7th, “A few years ago, we made a decision — knowing this was a test flight — to ensure we provided the crew with appropriate resources, supplies, and training in case they needed to stay longer aboard the International Space Station for any reason.”
“Butch (Wilmore’s nickname) and Suni (Williams’ nickname) are fully trained,” Weigel added. “They are capable, advanced in all aspects of spacewalking, robotic technology, and everything we need them to do.”
The Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft by SpaceX was originally scheduled to launch on August 18th for a routine flight, intending to send four astronauts to space to replace the current Crew-8 team members on the ISS. However, as part of an emergency plan, the Dragon spacecraft will now carry two astronauts to the station to make room for the return of Wilmore and Williams from their extended stay in space. The Dragon spacecraft typically accommodates two to four crew members at a time.