 "Nasa pushes back Sunita Williams' return, mission now set for Spring 2025")
Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore’s return from the International Space Station (ISS) has encountered another delay. Initially slated to return with the help of SpaceX, their mission has faced repeated setbacks. Their stay in space, originally planned to be a short-term assignment, is now expected to extend into Spring 2025, marking nearly 10 months in orbit.
Williams and Wilmore launched on June 5 aboard Boeing’s Starliner, with a mission duration set for just one week. However, technical issues with their spacecraft, which has since landed back on Earth without the astronauts, have led to multiple delays in their return.
The planned return in February 2025 has now been rescheduled for Spring 2025 due to complications. After a series of setbacks, including malfunctions and leaks, Nasa deemed it unsafe for them to return aboard the Starliner. As a result, Elon Musk’s SpaceX offered a solution by adjusting its Crew-9 mission to accommodate the astronauts on a Crew Dragon capsule.
Astronauts’ return delayed again
While initially expected to return in February, Williams and Wilmore are now not scheduled to return until late March, with the possibility of the delay extending into early April.
The hold-up is due to the additional time SpaceX needs to prepare the new capsule for launch. Nasa had considered using a different SpaceX capsule for the mission but ultimately decided to extend the astronauts’ stay until the new capsule is ready.
First crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, with Williams and Wilmore onboard, was the first crewed flight as part of Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program. The mission aimed to thoroughly evaluate the spacecraft’s performance throughout all stages, including launch, docking, and safe return to Earth in the western US. After a successful manned test flight, Nasa had planned to certify the Starliner and its systems for future crewed missions to the space station.