For the last two months, NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams have been onboard the the International Space Station far longer than originally expected. What was initially planned as an eight-day trip could now stretch into next year, as NASA announced today that the agency is considering keeping the astronauts in space until February 2025.
Safety issues with the Boeing Starliner, which marked its maiden voyage with this mission, have delayed the return home. Specifically, mid-flight helium leaks and jammed thrusters required weeks of testing to make sure a problem didn’t become dangerous. And more testing is still necessary to understand
While no plans are solid yet, SpaceX may be the company that brings them home, using one of their Dragon capsules that is slated for launch later this month.
“Our prime option is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said Wednesday in a news briefing, according to NBC News. “However, we have done the requisite planning to make sure we have other options open, and so we have been working with SpaceX to ensure that they’re ready to respond.”
A final decision will be made by mid-August.