Rescue of Astronauts Stranded by Boeing Delayed by SpaceX Setback

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 5, 2024, will have to wait a little longer to return to Earth due to a delay in SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission.

Space.com reports that the return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew the first-ever crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner capsule, has been postponed until at least March 2025. This delay comes as a result of SpaceX pushing back its Crew-10 mission, which was originally scheduled for February 2025, to allow more time for the completion of a brand-new Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Wilmore and Williams launched to the ISS on Starliner on June 5, 2024, but due to vehicle complications and safety concerns, the Starliner capsule was forced to return to Earth without them. As a result, the astronauts were integrated into SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which won’t depart the orbital laboratory until after the arrival of Crew-10.

The delay in Crew-10’s launch means that Wilmore and Williams will spend around nine months in total aboard the ISS, incredibly longer than the original 10-day mission duration. While this extended stay is unexpected, it is not unprecedented. Other NASA astronauts have spent even longer periods on the ISS, such as Scott Kelly, who stayed for 340 days during the space agency’s year-long “twin study” in 2015 and 2016. More recently, Frank Rubio became the first American to spend more than 365 consecutive days in space after his Soyuz spacecraft experienced a leak, forcing him and his two Russian crewmates to prolong their ISS mission.

SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which employs the Crew Dragon capsule named Freedom, launched to the ISS in September 2024. However, due to the need to accommodate Wilmore and Williams’ return, the mission carried only two of the four originally scheduled astronauts — NASA’s Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were removed from the mission to free up seats for Wilmore and Williams.

The new Crew Dragon spacecraft, set to debut with the Crew-10 mission, will be the fifth in SpaceX’s fleet. This addition will provide both SpaceX and NASA with more flexibility in their commercial offerings and mission manifests. Had a fifth Dragon been available earlier without disrupting the Crew-9 and Crew-10 missions, it’s possible that NASA could have used the vehicle to bring Wilmore and Williams home sooner.

Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the SpaceX team in expanding the Dragon fleet to support these missions. He also praised the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as they work together to ensure the readiness of the new capsule for flight.

The Crew-10 mission, now slated for a late March 2025 launch, will include NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. If the schedule remains on track, their Falcon 9 launch to the ISS will allow the Crew-9 mission to return to Earth in early April 2025, following the typical crew overlap period during which station control and operational responsibilities are handed over to the incoming crew.

COMMENTS