Washington. The US space agency NASA made it clear that Sunita Williams, who went to the International Space Station for just 8 days in June, may have to remain stuck there for 8 months. NASA said that both the astronauts who flew to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s faulty Starliner capsule will have to return to Earth early next year in SpaceX’s capsule. Because problems in the Starliner’s propulsion system make it too risky to bring the crew back to Earth as planned before then. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams became the first crew to board the Starliner on June 5. They were launched to the ISS for an eight-day test mission.
NASA said that in the first 24 hours of its flight to the ISS, there were several problems in the propulsion system of Boeing’s Starliner. Due to which both the astronauts have been stranded on the space station for 79 days so far. While Boeing Company is struggling to investigate and repair the problems of its spacecraft. NASA officials said during a press conference in Houston that Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are completely safe and ready to stay in space for a long time. NASA said that both former Air Force test pilots will use their extra time to conduct science experiments with the other seven astronauts of the station.
2 out of 4 seats of SpaceX will be kept vacant
NASA has made a rare reshuffle in its astronaut operations. Now both astronauts are expected to return to Earth in February 2025 on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. It is scheduled to be launched next month as part of a regular astronaut rotation mission. Two of the four astronaut seats on the Crew Dragon will be kept vacant for Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams.
Sunita Williams got a lifeline! NASA made a complete plan to bring back the astronaut who was stuck in space for 70 days
Boeing’s Starliner fails in many ways
The US space agency’s decision to choose Boeing’s top rival SpaceX to bring Sunita Williams back from space is one of the most important decisions NASA has taken in recent times. While Boeing had hoped its Starliner test mission would salvage the troubled program after years of development problems and a budget overrun of more than $1.6 billion since 2016, five of Starliner’s 28 thrusters failed during the flight. There were several leaks of helium, which is used to pressurize the thrusters.
Tags: International Space Station, Nasa study, Space, Space news
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 25, 2024, 06:05 IST