New Delhi: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in June this year on Boeing’s defective Starliner spacecraft, will return to Earth early next year, the space agency announced on Saturday.
Further, NASA has announced that the Boeing Starliner will return to Earth without the two astronauts currently aboard.
The decision to return the Starliner uncrewed has significant implications. It allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on the Starliner during its future voyage home while simultaneously avoiding putting the crew at unnecessary risk. This approach aligns with NASA’s commitment to safety and ensures that the necessary data is collected for future missions.
In a post on X, NASA said: “After extensive review by experts across the agency, NASA’s @BoeingSpace Crew Flight Test will return with an uncrewed #Starliner. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to return to Earth next spring.”
The NASA release highlighted the dedication of Wilmore and Williams, who have been diligently supporting station research, maintenance, Starliner system testing, and data analysis, among other activities, since their arrival at the International Space Station in June.
Also read – Actor Nagarjuna pained by unlawful demolition of his centre in Hyderabad
“Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: Our core value and our North Star,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, adding: “I’m grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work.”
Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. NASA said in the release that Starliner is expected to depart from the space station and make a safe, controlled, autonomous re-entry and landing in early September.
NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters on June 6 as the Starliner approached the space station. These technical issues, detected during the approach phase of the mission, prompted the decision to return the Starliner uncrewed.
Since June 6, when helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters were identified, engineering teams have been working tirelessly, completing a significant amount of work. This includes reviewing data collection, conducting flight and ground testing, hosting independent reviews with agency propulsion experts, and developing various return contingency plans, all to ensure the safety of the mission.
The decision to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission was not taken lightly. The uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence did not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, prompting NASA leadership to make this careful decision.
For more updates Subscribe to Media Eye News
–IANS
