The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States announced on Wednesday that the two astronauts aboard the Boeing “Starliner” spacecraft, who have been in orbit for over 60 days, may not return to Earth until February 2025, despite their originally planned 8-day mission to the International Space Station.
This delay in the return of Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams was revealed during a press conference held by NASA on Wednesday. The agency is considering collaborating with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to possibly bring the astronauts back using SpaceX’s Crew-9 “Dragon” spacecraft instead of the Boeing “Starliner.”
Ken Bowersox, NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, stated during the press conference, “We can go either way. A rational person could choose either path.”
The two astronauts launched on the Boeing “Starliner” spacecraft for their mission on June 5. Originally scheduled to spend only eight days in orbit, issues such as a helium leak and propulsion system malfunction forced a delay in their planned return.
As part of a contingency plan, NASA is exploring the option of having SpaceX’s Crew-9 “Dragon” spacecraft take responsibility for bringing the astronauts back from the “Starliner” and potentially extending their mission from the initial 10 days to 8 months, aiming for a return in February 2025. While a final decision has not been made, this proposal is now on the table for discussion.
With only two docking ports available for U.S. spacecraft at the International Space Station, both are currently occupied, one by the “Starliner” and the other by SpaceX’s Crew-8 “Dragon” spacecraft. Therefore, a docking port needs to be freed up before the next SpaceX spacecraft arrives.
Originally scheduled to launch on August 18 as a routine flight to transport four astronauts to the space station and replace the current Crew-8 team members, Crew-9 “Dragon” will now launch earlier as part of the emergency plan to retrieve Wilmore and Williams from space. Normally carrying two to four passengers, the “Dragon” spacecraft will head to the space station to make room for the returning astronauts.
To allow NASA officials more time to decide how to proceed with the Boeing “Starliner,” the launch of Crew-9 “Dragon” has been delayed until no earlier than September 24.