2024-08-26 14:27:27
The SpaceX company will return to Earth the two American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams, who remained aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to problems with the new “Starliner” capsule of the “Boeing” company.
“NASA has decided that Butch and Sunny will return with crew-9 in February of next year, and Starliner will return without a crew,” explained the head of NASA, Bill Nelson, quoted by the US media.
Because of the problems with the capsule, the two remained in the ISS longer than planned – instead of a week, they have been there since June and do not seem to return until early 2025.
NASA had two options for retrieving them. The first was to use the Starliner, although the spacecraft would need to be repaired first after it had engine problems and a helium leak upon arrival. The other option was for the Starliner to return to Earth without a crew, but that would require extensive software reconfiguration. In the end, NASA settled on this option as safer and even bet on Boeing’s competitor, SpaceX.
In February, the two Americans are expected to return with the Dragon capsule of SpaceX, which is owned by Elon Musk.