On Saturday, August 24, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States made the decision to have SpaceX rescue American astronauts who are currently “stranded” in outer space.
These astronauts were forced to extend their stay at the International Space Station due to significant technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
NASA announced this decision at a press conference on Saturday, stating that Boeing’s spacecraft will return without any crew members onboard.
The emergency plan means that NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams will return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch at the end of September. This will bring them back to the United States in February, several months later than originally planned.
In June of this year, the Starliner spacecraft sent its first two astronauts into space in a crucial test to determine whether it would receive approval for routine flights from NASA.
However, due to leaks and malfunctions in some thrusters, the planned 8-day mission to dock with the International Space Station was extended by several months.