Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are not “stranded” in space, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reiterated in a statement this week.
“Butch and Suni are safe aboard the space station working alongside the Expedition 71 crew. They have also been actively participating in Starliner testing and technical meetings. Butch and Suni could return home aboard Starliner if an emergency arises…” NASA said Tuesday.
He Two NASA astronauts launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5 and arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6.
The return of Starliner and the two astronauts has been delayed for several months due to failures with the spacecraft. NASA explained: “During Starliner’s flight to the space station, some of the spacecraft’s thrusters did not perform as expected and several leaks were observed in Starliner’s helium system.”
Officials in space and on the ground are conducting studies and investigations to examine the root cause of the Boeing spacecraft failures and “to learn about the spacecraft.” The US space agency said: “NASA is using the extra time to understand “Technical problems with the spacecraft before deciding on a return plan.”
How long could Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore stay on the ISS?
Answering a FAQ question, NASA said that Butch and Sunita would remain on board the ISS until the end of February 2025 If the The space agency decides to return the Starliner without a crew.
In that particular case, “NASA would reschedule the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission by launching just two crew members instead of four in late September. Butch and Suni would then return to Earth. following the regular crew ramp-up of 9 scheduled for early next year,’ NASA said.
However, it has not yet been decided whether Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return aboard the Starliner or the SpaceX spacecraft. “Butch and Suni could return home aboard the Starliner, or they could return as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission early next year,” the statement added.
NASA also said the typical stay aboard the International Space Station is about six months. It added that NASA astronauts have also stayed on the space station on longer missions.
Are Sunita and Butch ready for a longer stay on the ISS?
NASA said Butch and Sunita had already completed two long-duration stays aboard the ISS. “NASA astronauts embark on missions with full knowledge of the various scenarios that may become reality. This mission is no different, and they understood the possibilities and unknowns of this test flight, including being aboard the station longer than anticipated,” NASA said.
NASA is expected to make a decision on Starliner’s return by the end of August. “We’re getting to a point where we really should be making a decision in the last week of August, if not sooner,” Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, previously said.
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