Photo: MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO / AFP / Getty Images
NASA and Boeing have finally decided what to do with Starliner Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
""NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with (SpaceX’s) Crew 9, next February", said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. That would mean the astronauts on this mission will be in space for eight months. They were supposed to be there for eight days. But NASA discovered a helium leak in the Boeing aircraft, which is the root cause for the delayed return home.
NASA held out hope of using Starlner the event of an emergency, but analysis in the weeks since has undermined stakeholders' assurances that the vehicle is a viable option to use in the astronauts' return home.
Under the revised plan, what was expected to be a crew of four could be reduced to make room for the two stranded astronauts aboard the ISS, who are expected to return in February 2025.
Until their departure, Wilmore and Williams will continue to perform experiments aboard the space station while they await additional supplies and custom suits for their ride back to Earth.