“Will Sunita Williams Return to Earth by Mid-August? NASA Considers SpaceX for Bringing Starliner Astronauts Back: Latest Updates”

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s Extended Stay on ISS Due to Starliner Issues

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore may return from space soon. In its latest update, NASA announced that the completion of Starliner’s return planning “is expected to continue into next week.”

Additionally, NASA is preparing for the launch of the next SpaceX Crew Dragon mission, Crew-9, which is scheduled no earlier than August 18. Prior to this new launch, the priority is believed to be the return of the Starliner spacecraft to free up one of the two docking ports at the International Space Station (ISS).

To ensure this, NASA and Boeing officials are focused on resolving issues with Starliner, according to news agency ANI.

During a briefing on July 10, a NASA official stated, “The big driver is the handover that we have coming up between Crew-8 and Crew-9, which is in mid-August. So, we have to back up.” The official added, “We haven’t yet done that, but obviously, a few days before that launch opportunity, we would need to get Butch and Sunny home on Starliner. So that’s kind of a backend.”

Data is currently being analyzed to determine “the earliest we could target for undocking [at the ISS] and landing” on Earth.

NASA Weighs Options for Sunita Williams’ Safe Return to Earth

The Crew-9 mission, targeted to launch in mid-August, will carry NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, Stephanie Wilson, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexsandr Gorbunov to the orbiting laboratory. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft launched NASA’s Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams into space on June 5, reaching the ISS on June 6. They are the first astronauts to fly Boeing’s Starliner.

The duo was expected to return to Earth within a few weeks, but their stay in space has been extended due to thruster and helium leak anomalies on the Starliner capsule docked at the ISS.

No date has been set for the return of the two NASA astronauts from space. The Starliner capsule has been in space for 59 days and counting.

Delays in Starliner’s Return Pose Challenges for Williams and NASA

The prime option for NASA astronauts is to return on Boeing’s Starliner capsule. However, an official had said on July 10, “…we decided to use Dragon as a contingency return option…and had it set up for if we needed to use it as a lifeboat…”

“We declared Starliner safe to be an emergency return vehicle,” the official said. Boeing’s Mark Nappi earlier emphasized that in an emergency, Starliner and its crew could return immediately.

“Starliner is ready to return in an emergency if the crew needed to return at any point in time,” officials had said.

Meanwhile, CNBC reported that NASA management is considering returning Starliner empty and using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to return its astronauts. According to a source, NASA’s concern with Starliner stems from not having identified the root cause of multiple thruster failures during docking.

“There is no consensus among those responsible for making the decision,” sources added.

NASA has stated that one reason for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s extended stay is to identify the problem on Starliner and conduct thorough checks before returning to Earth. The thrusters on the service module are critical for the Starliner’s safe return to Earth.

“Teams are taking their time to analyze the results of recent docked hot-fire testing, finalize flight rationale for the spacecraft’s integrated propulsion system, and confirm system reliability ahead of Starliner’s return to Earth from the International Space Station,” NASA said on Thursday.

As the Boeing Starliner’s return to Earth is delayed indefinitely, the aerospace company expects to lose an additional $125 million, according to Business Insider. Boeing’s recent SEC filing revealed an increase in the program’s reach-forward loss by $125 million, on top of the $288 million additional loss projected in 2023.

The quarterly earnings reported Wednesday highlighted Boeing’s challenges, with a loss of $1.44 billion for the second quarter compared to a loss of $149 million a year earlier, the Associated Press reported. Since the start of 2019, Boeing has lost more than $25 billion.

Stay Updated: Visit Our Page for the Latest Trending News