Experienced astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who reached the ISS with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June, planned to spend only eight days there.
However, due to problems with Starliner’s propulsion system, NASA had to completely change its return plans.
According to Sciencealert’s news; After weeks of intense testing on Starliner, NASA decided to bring the vehicle back to Earth without a crew. Wilmore and Williams’ return would take place with SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission.
POSTPONED TO MARCH 2025
The Crew-9 team arrived at the ISS aboard the Dragon spacecraft in late September, leaving two empty seats for Wilmore and Williams. The plan called for the four astronauts to return to Earth in February 2025.
However, NASA announced that the start of the Crew-10 mission has been postponed to March 2025 at the earliest. This means that Wilmore and Williams, along with the Crew-9 team, will stay on the ISS longer for the “handover process.”
“This change gives NASA and SpaceX teams time to complete the preparation process for a new Dragon spacecraft,” NASA’s blog post said.
As a result, Wilmore and Williams will remain in space for more than nine months, instead of the eight-day mission originally planned. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, carries out regular flights every six months for the transformation of ISS teams.
