Boeing never ensured the safe return to Earth of its Starliner capsule, where the astronauts were supposed to return.
American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who went on an eight-day mission to the ISS in June 2024 and still cannot return due to a malfunction of the Boeing Starliner, will return in early 2025. They will be delivered by the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced this on Saturday, August 24, on social media. X.
“Spaceflight is dangerous, even in the safest and most common cases. A test flight is inherently unsafe or routine. Our decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the space station and return to the Starliner without a crew is a result of of our commitment to safety: our core values,” the official said.
The astronauts are expected to return in February 2025 on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which will fly to the ISS in September as part of a rotation mission. Two of the four seats on Crew Dragon will remain open for Wilmore and Williams. The Starliner ship was planned to return to Earth without a crew.
It was previously reported that Boeing and NASA conducted several tests on the damaged engines and investigated a spare module in the New Mexico desert to find out the reasons why the astronauts were stuck in orbit.
NASA astronauts are stuck on the ISS
New Correspondent.net on Telegram and WhatsApp. Subscribe to our channels Athletistic and WhatsApp
Source: korrespondent
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.