NASA announced Saturday, August 24, that Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore “will return next February,” and outlined its plan for how to return the Starliner astronaut crew to Earth. NASA said two astronauts from Boeing’s failed mission will return to Earth with SpaceX, NASA confirmed.
“NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with Crew 9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters.
The update on Boeing’s first manned Starliner The test flight comes as Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore approach the 80-day mark of what was initially an eight-day mission.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who launched to the International Space Station aboard Starliner on June 5, saw their mission extended by more than two months as Boeing and NASA investigated helium leaks and problems with the spacecraft’s thrusters.
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and the leadership team conducted an internal readiness review for the NASA Boeing Crew Flight Test on Saturday, August 24.
NASA and Boeing collected data, both in space and on the ground, on the Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion and helium systems to better understand the Ongoing technical challenges.
The review included a mission status update, a review of technical data and closure actions, and certification of the flight justification to proceed with undocking and return to the space station.
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NASA’s Boeing crewed flight test launched June 5 on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This is an end-to-end test of the Starliner system. as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is one of two commercial vehicles NASA has chosen to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station as part of its Commercial Crew Program.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is the other.
Since 2020, SpaceX has flown nine crewed missions for NASA, alongside several private companies. Boeing’s Starliner, by contrast, is currently on its inaugural crewed mission, known as the Crew Flight Test, marking the start of at least six planned crewed flights for NASA under its multibillion-dollar contract.
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