NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stranded on the International Space Station for almost 2 months, since arriving on a mission that was supposed to last only 2 weeks.
Their ride back, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, has experienced ongoing technical issues that have delayed their return indefinitely. NASA has not announced a new return date.
With Starliner’s batteries only rated to stay in orbit till early September, NASA is discussing the option of sending it back empty while rescuing the astronauts with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
Sending Starliner back without the crew would be a major vote of no confidence in Boeing, following years of delays and a failed launch attempt for the program.
Boeing has already lost $1.6 billion on Starliner. However, NASA and Boeing continue claiming everything is proceeding as planned, despite the prolonged delays and issues faced.
A decision is still pending, but time is running out to return the astronauts as Starliner’s systems won’t last beyond early September in orbit. NASA says it is evaluating all options to bring the crew back safely.
Source: Futurism
