NASA Announces Astronauts Stuck In Orbit Since June Returning With SpaceX Crew In February

(L-R) NASA Associate Administrator James Free, Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox, Commercial Crew Manager Steve Stich and International Space Station Program Manager Dana Weigel speak during a news conference to discuss plans to return two astronauts who remain stranded at the International Space Station, at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on August 24, 2024. NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams blasted off for the ISS on the Boeing Starliner on June 5, 2024, and will return home with rival SpaceX, NASA said August 24. “NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with Crew-9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed,” Nelson told reporters. The return has been delayed by thruster malfunctions of the Boeing spacecraft. (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
12:29 PM – Saturday, August 24, 2024

Nasa made the announcement on Saturday, that the two astronauts currently stuck on the International Space Station will return next February on a SpaceX-crewed Dragon flight where two seats were made available for Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore.

The two will not return on the original aircraft that brought them to the space station, Boeing’s Starliner, which has had problems after the capsule developed small leaks and multiple thrusters began to fail.

The space agency’s announcement comes after an “agency-level review” on Saturday, which included Bill Nelson, the agency administrator.

“Nasa has decided that Butch and Suni will return with [SpaceX’s] Crew-9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed,” Nelson said in a press conference on Saturday.
“I want you to know that Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to get the necessary data to make this decision. We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS,” he added.
“Space flight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine, and a test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine, and so the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety,” Nelson continued.

The two veteran astronauts arrived at the ISS on June 6^th to perform a crucial test by Starliner to get NASA approval for routine flights. It was originally planned to be an eight-day mission, but turned into a months-long stay for Williams and Wilmore after technical issues emerged.

Meanwhile, four of the spacecraft’s five failed thrusters have reactivated in orbit, according to the Associated Press. The outlet also reported that the thrusters are crucial for the spacecraft to back away from the ISS after undocking and for maintaining the capsule in proper position for deorbit.

In a press conference this month, Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s space operations mission directorate, stated the astronauts are in good spirits in space.

“Butch and Suni are well-engaged on the space station. It’s great to be there, enjoying the environment, eating that great space food and being able to look out the window,” he said.

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