NASA says 2 astronauts stuck in ISS since June might return sooner than expected
The two NASA astronauts who have been stuck at the International Space Station may be able to return to Earth sooner than expected.
In a Tuesday press release, NASA said that SpaceX would switch the capsules being used for upcoming astronaut flights in order to be able to bring Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home. NASA said the return date is scheduled for March 12, a couple of weeks before the initial return projections.
“Human spaceflight is full of unexpected challenges. Our operational flexibility is enabled by the tremendous partnership between NASA and SpaceX and the agility SpaceX continues to demonstrate to safely meet the agency’s emerging needs,” Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said in a statement.
Both Williams and Wilmore have been stuck at the ISS since June, and have spent more than eight months awaiting a return to Earth.
A prolonged trip for 2 NASA astronauts
The two astronauts were only supposed to be at the ISS for a few days in June when they reached the orbital outpost on the inaugural flight test for Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
However, their return was delayed multiple times until NASA finally decided in August that the safest route would be to send the pair back to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon vehicle in early 2025.
With the latest announcement, NASA says Williams and Willmore will return to Earth alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Who's replacing the astronauts?
The Crew-10 mission, the 10th SpaceX mission contracted by NASA to send astronauts to the space station for what tend to be six-month rotations, includes four on board:
- NASA astronaut Anne McClain, of Spokane, Washington, mission commander;
- NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, of Colorado, mission pilot;
- Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa), a mission specialist;
- Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, a mission specialist.
“After Crew-10 arrives to the space station, Crew-9 will help the newly arrived crew familiarize with ongoing science and station maintenance work, which supports a safer transition of operations aboard the orbital complex,” NASA said Tuesday.
Contributing: Eric Lagatta, Paste BN
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.