Our Bureau
Washington, DC
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are stranded on the International Space Station, since they reached there on June 6th. Their trip was slated for just 8-days but it has been extending. With speculations running rife, the duo’s return seems to be indefinitely postponed due to critical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
NASA said that it is looking into every way to get its astronauts back home. One idea is to have astronauts come back in 2025, and they’re thinking about using Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, a rival to Boeing.
Kenneth Bowersox, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space Operations, stressed that relying solely on the Starliner for their return may not be feasible. “We have the option to bring them back on another vehicle,” he stated. The astronauts, who were launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner, have been in space for over two months.
Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich highlighted that NASA is collaborating with SpaceX to prepare for the return of astronauts on Crew 9. “We have been working with SpaceX to ensure that they are ready to respond on Crew 9… returning Butch and Suni on Crew 9 if we need that,” he said.
