NASA astronauts traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) are stuck in space due to a malfunction in the spacecraft. They were in Boeing’s crewed spacecraft, the CST-100 Starliner.
NASA is considering a plan to bring astronauts back to Earth next year using a SpaceX spacecraft, a competitor to Boeing. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), NASA announced on Wednesday that it is evaluating the use of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to safely return astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore (61) and Sunita Williams (58).
If NASA goes with this option, SpaceX will launch two of its four Crew Dragon seats with astronauts to the ISS in September.
Next February, Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth with two vacant seats. NASA sends a spacecraft with its astronauts to the ISS every six months to rotate crew members. Before any astronauts return, Starliner will attempt to return to Earth by itself.
Initially, Wilmore and Williams’ mission to ISS was for eight days. However, a helium leak and a propulsion system failure happened during the docking process. As a result, the mission was extended for two months. If they return in February, their schedule will stretch from eight days to nearly eight months.
However, this plan has not been finalized. NASA will announce its decision by mid-month and discuss it with Boeing and SpaceX.
The Starliner is a crewed capsule developed by Boeing to transport astronauts between Earth and the ISS. Its first crewed mission took place on June 5.
If NASA decides to use SpaceX’s Crew Dragon next week, it will significantly impact Boeing’s space program reputation.
Conversely, SpaceX will gain its recognition. Bloomberg noted that this incident will highlight the government’s increasing reliance on SpaceX, stating, “The company is solidifying its position as an essential partner in the U.S. government’s space program.”
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