19.12.2024
The tour doesn't end for the Starliner astronauts who launched to the International Space Station in June, as they got yet another month tacked onto their time in space before they can return home.
NASA on Tuesday announced the delay of the launch of Crew-10, which in turn means the return of Crew-9 will be delayed. The Starliner duo, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, were set to return home on that Crew-9 Dragon in February 2025 after the troubled Starliner was returned to Earth without them. Now they will have to wait until no earlier than late March to get back to Earth, bringing a journey which was supposed to be 10 days to more than nine months.
According to NASA, the reasoning for the Crew-10 delay is to allow SpaceX more time to work on the latest Dragon spacecraft, which will be debuting with this mission. Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said: “Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail."
NASA said the space station received two resupply flights in November and "is well-stocked with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothing, and oxygen." The space agency said also delivered were special items for the crew to celebrate the holidays on the ISS.
NASA astronauts have spent a year in space without issue. The difference with the Starliner crew is it was unexpected but it's not unheard of. The most recent example was astronaut Frank Rubio, who launched to the ISS in September 2022 aboard a Russian Soyuz. While in orbit during his six month mission, that Soyuz was struck by orbital debris. A coolant leak sprung on the spacecraft, causing the need for a replacement. As a result, Rubio and crew spent an extra six months onboard.
The story of the Starliner crew began when they launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on its Crewed Flight Test (CFT) in June 2024. Helium leaks and thruster malfunctions caused NASA and Boeing to race to recreate the problem on Earth to ensure the Starliner would be safe to return with the crew. They were racing against a deadline: the launch of Crew-9 in September.
Unable to replicate the problem with the thrusters, time ran out. NASA, unable to guarantee the safety of the spacecraft, opted to return it uncrewed and only launch two of the four Crew-9 astronauts − allowing Williams and Wilmore to join Crew-9, stay longer on the station and then return with the other two crew members in 2025 onboard the SpaceX Dragon.
Starliner is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Both SpaceX and Boeing were contracted to transport NASA astronauts to and from the ISS. While SpaceX has flown crews since 2020, Boeing has yet to complete a crewed mission.
NASA's Crew-10 mission will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon now no earlier than late March 2025. According to NASA, the astronauts on this mission include: NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot; JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, mission specialist; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Quelle: Florida Today