Two American astronauts sent to space in early June will now only return to Earth in February, NASA announced Saturday — turning what was supposed to be an eight-day test flight into a eight-month-long mission.
Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have been at the International Space Station since June 6 after lifting off in the Boeing Starliner from Cape Canaveral the previous day.
The two experienced pilots were expected to spend just over a week aboard the space station as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, a public-private partnership whose goal is to provide “safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation on space station missions.”
Wilmore, the mission’s commander, and Williams, the pilot, were originally scheduled to return home aboard the Starliner and land back on Earth on June 14.
However, that plan was derailed after NASA and Boeing officials detected helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters as the Starliner approached the space station.
NASA and Boeing engineers have since then reviewed data and conducted tests to assess whether it would be safe for the two astronauts to return home aboard the Starliner.
After nearly three months of delays and Hollywood-like suspense, NASA officials said Saturday they decided to bring the Starliner back to Earth without its crew.
That means Williams and Wilmore will remain in space through February 2025, when they’ll finally return home in a SpaceX spacecraft — eight months after their original return date.
“The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Saturday at a press conference.
“Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine,” he noted.
“Decisions like this are never easy,” echoed Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s space operations mission directorate. “But I want to commend our NASA and Boeing teams for their thorough analysis, transparent discussions, and focus on safety during the Crew Flight Test.”
Last week, NASA officials said Williams and Wilmore were “doing great,” adding the two seasoned astronauts said they went to space knowing the mission would be risky and were prepared for it.