NASA Announces Stranded Astronauts Will Return to Earth on SpaceX Craft

NASA revealed on Saturday that it will rely on Elon Musk’s SpaceX to return two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since early June due to multiple issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will not be returning to Earth aboard the Boeing spacecraft. Instead, they will travel back on a SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle. This decision follows months of public concern, speculation regarding the astronauts' safety, and disputes between agencies over the return mission. The initial mission was intended to last only eight days.

"Spaceflight is risky — even at its safest and even at its most routine — and a test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine, and so the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson during a briefing on Saturday.

The astronauts had originally launched from Florida’s Space Coast in early June. While docked at the ISS, engineers detected helium leaks and thruster issues, prompting an investigation by NASA and Boeing. According to Yahoo, the investigation, which included ground tests at the Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, found the problems to be minor.

NASA management indicated that the Starliner could still be used in an emergency. However, recent research has cast doubt on whether it is a viable option for returning the astronauts to Earth.

NASA announced that Wilmore and Williams will return aboard a future SpaceX mission, as there is insufficient confidence in the spacecraft’s current readiness.

The schedule changes will necessitate adjustments to the SpaceX Crew 9 team, with the Florida launch now expected to be postponed until September. The new plan involves reducing the crew size to accommodate the two stranded astronauts, who will now return in February 2025.

Until their return, Wilmore and Williams will continue conducting tests on the space station while awaiting additional supplies and custom suits for their journey back.

NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich recently expressed optimism about the Starliner’s future despite the ongoing issues. However, the spacecraft's next flight remains uncertain.

Documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reveal that the Boeing program has faced years of delays and has incurred losses exceeding a billion dollars.

The challenges with the Starliner come as Boeing strives to recover from a tumultuous year marked by design flaws in the 737 MAX, in-flight incidents, executive shake-ups, and reports of poor manufacturing practices.

NASA has maintained its requirement for at least two U.S.-based vehicles capable of transporting humans to the ISS, given that only one has been operational since 2020.

Had the Boeing CST-100 Starliner successfully completed its test flights, it would have become the second spacecraft approved for transporting crew and supplies to the ISS. Although NASA and Boeing were planning the first flight post-certification for August 2025, both the timeline and mission are now in jeopardy.

NASA officials have stated that it is too soon to determine how this situation will impact future Starliner missions, as they need to thoroughly assess the spacecraft’s safety, a process that could take several months.

Currently, at least two other private U.S. space companies are vying to send crews to the ISS, but only SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has received NASA approval for such missions.