USA Today reports, “The SpaceX Dragon that next year will ferry the Starliner astronauts back to Earth is preparing to finally depart for the International Space Station as early as this weekend. Aboard the company’s Dragon capsule will be two Crew-9 astronauts embarking to the orbital outpost for a six-month rotation to perform a slew of research and experiments. Originally scheduled for an August launch, the mission had been delayed while NASA and Boeing officials worked to figure out what to do about the troubled Starliner spacecraft taking up the Dragon’s docking port.”
Full Story (USA Today)
Tag: Starliner Astronauts
NASA Confirms Boeing Starliner Astronauts Will Return Home on SpaceX Dragon in 2025
SPACE reports that NASA decided Saturday (Aug. 24) to return its two Boeing Starliner astronauts to Earth in February 2025. Their Starliner capsule will come back empty over thruster concerns. “NASA and Boeing jointly decided that Williams and Wilmore will not head back to Earth aboard the same Starliner capsule that brought them to the ISS. Rather, they will climb aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule for their descent to our planet, a vessel dedicated to the Crew-9 mission set to launch in September that will be modified to accommodate the Starliner astronauts.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Starliner Crew May Return Home with SpaceX in 2025
The New York Times reports that for weeks, NASA has downplayed problems experienced by Starliner, but on Wednesday, NASA officials admitted that the issues might be more serious than first thought and that the astronauts might not return on the Boeing vehicle. “The agency is exploring a backup option for the astronauts, Suni Wiliams and Butch Wilmore, to instead hitch a ride back to Earth on a spacecraft built by Boeing’s competitor SpaceX. The astronauts’ stay in orbit, which was to be as short as eight days, could be extended into next year.”
Full Story (New York Times)