Investing.com– NASA mentioned that its two astronauts stranded within the Worldwide Area Station will come house in a SpaceX craft in early-2025, whereas the Boeing (NYSE:) craft that carried them to the station will return with out crew.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will keep on the ISS till February 2025, earlier than flying house in a SpaceX Dragon capsule as a part of its Crew-9 mission. The mission will launch in early-September, NASA mentioned in an announcement.
Wilmore and Williams have been stranded aboard the ISS in June after Boeing’s Starliner capsule seemingly malfunctioned throughout a check flight. The flight was initially deliberate to final a minimal of 9 days, however was delayed indefinitely because the company raced to establish what went improper with the Starliner.
“The uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence does not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, thus prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission,” NASA mentioned in an announcement.
The capsule will now return to earth unmanned, and is predicted to make an autonomous re-entry and touchdown in early-September.
Media studies earlier in August had proven NASA was in discussions with Elon Musk’s SpaceX over bringing again Wilmore and Williams in a Dragon spacecraft, particularly because the company was unable to establish the basis explanation for what went improper with the Starliner.
Its resolution to proceed with SpaceX marks extra hassle for Boeing, which was already going through heightened scrutiny over the security requirements of its industrial aircrafts.
SpaceX has contract with NASA to provide cargo to the ISS, and has accomplished 9 profitable missions to and from the ISS, as of April 2024.
