And I think it’s gonna be a long long time…
Nasa have issued a concerning update on the two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station and when they may return.
Barry Wilmore, 61, and Sunita Williams, 58, left Earth on the 5 June with the International Space Station (ISS) as their destination aboard the Boeing-made Starliner spacecraft.
The astronauts’ mission was only meant to last eight days as they continued tests on Boeing’s first reusable space capsule as it underwent its maiden flight with pilots onboard.
Starliner was only intended to reach the ISS and dock for a few days before returning back to Earth, however technical issues with the spacecraft have meant that the crew have now been stranded in space for two months.
NASA have since announced that their stay in space could be extended into 2025.
The unfortunate situation arose after technical problems befell the space capsule with engineers continuing to analyse data concerning faults with multiple of the ships thrusters when it approached for docking, and several helium leaks.
The complications encountered by Boeing make up just another chapter in an ongoing saga of struggles throughout the company with continuous problems across its civil aviation division responsible for the 737 Max and the issues the aircraft has faced.
This latest hiccup could lead to even more embarrassment for the company as a contingency plan to bring the astronauts home would include using a spacecraft from rivals Space X for the mission.
With NASA admitting on Wednesday that the technical complications are worse than first thought, this might just be the safest option for Wilmore and Williams.
Under this new strategy, NASA would incorporate the two astronauts into their regularly scheduled crew aboard the ISS that rotate based on six-month stints.
This would mean only two new astronauts would be sent up on Space X’s Crew Dragon Capsule’s next delivery of crew to the space station with Wilmore and Williams making up the numbers as fully-fledged crew.
This would give the pair an estimated return date of February 2025.
Space X’s Crew Dragon has been slated to launch 18 August, however has been postponed and will not launch before 24 September, showing that Boeing and NASA are seriously considering putting their contingency plan into action.
Steve Stich, the manager of the commercial crew program at NASA said a decision has not been made, but would have to be in the coming days.
