The plan to rescue the two stranded astronauts has hit another roadblock which has ultimately pushed the mission back again.
At this point, it would be fair to assume the pair are getting sick at looking at the Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) by now.
What was meant to be a quick eight day stay has seemingly turned into the most extended stay for Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams, 59, and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore, 61, who were initially launched into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida on June 5.
But as the Boeing Starliner Calypso approached the space station, the capsule’s thrusters malfunctioned, as well as five helium leaks.
Because of these technical issues, NASA deemed it too dangerous for the astronauts to travel back on the capsule, which eventually returned to Earth - leaving Williams and Wilmore stranded.
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The pair were expected to hitch a ride with the SpaceX Crew-9 in February 2025, but things haven’t exactly gone to plan there either as the Dragon Capsule also experienced a 'rare problem' upon takeoff.
So it looks like the pair will have to stay up there a little while longer as a new crew is needed to go to the space station before Wilmore and Williams can make their way back to Earth.
On Tuesday (December 17), NASA said that the duo can only leave after a ‘handover period’ which allows lessons to be shared with the newly arrived crew for 'a better transition for ongoing science and maintenance at the complex'.
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And since SpaceX have announced that they need more time to scramble a replacement vessel, NASA has decided it would be better to hold off for a new craft, The Independent reports.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, spoke about the difficulties of completing the mission of bringing them home without a hitch, as he said that the latest schedule change will allow teams more time to ‘complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft’ set to arrive at the SpaceX Florida facility in January.
He continued: “Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail.
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“We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight.”
Sending messages back to Earth, the duo have seemingly been in good spirits about the whole thing, however.
Photos from the ISS show Williams and Wilmore tucking into pizza and packets of grilled peppers - though these images initially sparked some concern about the pair's health, which they later addressed.
One NASA employee admitted that the situation was unexpected, but they have been taking care to bring the pair home safely, adding: “None of this was anticipated. They were supposed to be there for a week, and now it’s going on six months. "They should be home by now and we should be focused on other things. It’s all very unpredictable.”
Topics: NASA, Space, International Space Station
Gerrard Kaonga