Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have a scheduled date to return to Earth after a period of uncertainty. NASA, collaborating with SpaceX, will launch the Crew-9 mission this week to bring the duo back from their mission at the International Space Station. The mission is set to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday (26).
What occurred to the astronauts?
Butch and Suni reached the ISS in June 2024 on the Boeing Starliner capsule for an experimental mission meant to last eight days. However, issues with the thrusters extended their stay on the station beyond the initial plan.
Starliner’s malfunction raised significant worries about the capsule’s safety in returning astronauts to Earth. Following extensive testing, NASA deemed it too risky to use Starliner for Wilmore and Williams. Consequently, SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission was selected as a safer alternative to bring the astronauts back.
SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission will make history as a “rescue mission” and the first crewed launch from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with two crew members onboard the Crew Dragon ship.
Commander Nick Hague, the first active U.S. Space Force officer to go to space since the unit was established in 2019, is part of Crew-9, which also includes Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos.
Why was Starliner not utilized?
The issues with the Starliner capsule started right after it reached the ISS in June. Multiple propulsors in the reaction control system, crucial for important re-entry maneuvers, had defects. Despite thorough tests on the ground and in space, NASA and Boeing teams couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason for the malfunction.
NASA chose to depend on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, a spacecraft that has successfully completed multiple missions to the ISS, due to ongoing uncertainties and the need to prioritize astronaut safety.
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