By Dean Murray
Two NASA astronauts stranded in space have received a fresh blow before Christmas – their return home is delayed again.
Americans Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore found themselves marooned on the International Space Station (ISS) in June.
With a mission initially only meant to last eight days, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they arrived on was deemed unsafe to fly back on.
Now a NASA update on Tuesday (Dec. 17) has thwarted plans to get them back to Earth in February by stating the homeward voyage will be “no earlier than late March 2025”.
The space agency cites extra preparation needed to launch four new crew members – Crew-10 – to the International Space Station via what they call SpaceX’s “human space transportation system”.
“Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavour that requires great attention to detail,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight.”
NASA said they and SpaceX assessed various options for managing the next crewed handover, including using another Dragon spacecraft and manifest adjustments.
They said: “After careful consideration, the team determined that launching Crew-10 in late March, following completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, was the best option for meeting NASA’s requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025.”
NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot; JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, mission specialist; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov continue training for the Crew-10 mission at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will return to Earth following the arrival of Crew-10 to the orbital laboratory.
Known as a handover period, it allows Crew-9 to share any lessons learned with the newly arrived crew and support a better transition for ongoing science and maintenance at the complex.
