Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to return home next ...
Aug 24, 2024 11:09 PM IST
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore will return home next February, Reuters quoted National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as saying on Saturday.
"NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with Crew-9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said.
The return of Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams has been delayed by thruster malfunctions of the Boeing spacecraft, he added.
2019: Starliner failed 2019 test to launch to ISS uncrewedStarliner had failed a 2019 test to launch to the ISS uncrewed, but mostly succeeded in a 2022 do-over attempt where it also encountered thruster problems.
Since Starliner docked to the ISS in June, Boeing has scrambled to investigate what caused its thruster mishaps and helium leaks. The company arranged tests and simulations on Earth to gather data that it has used to try and convince NASA officials that Starliner is safe to fly the crew back home.
NASA's decision, and Starliner's now-uncertain path to certification, will add to the crises faced by new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who started this month with the goal to rebuild the planemaker's reputation after a door panel dramatically blew off a 737 MAX passenger jet in midair in January.
(With agency inputs)
