Two NASA astronauts whose weeklong mission has now stretched into its second month could be left floating in orbit until next year.
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore rocketed into space in June on a test flight of the Boeing Starliner. But as they were docking with the International Space Station, the spacecraft experienced helium leaks and several thrusters stopped working.
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NASA officials said Wednesday during a press conference that they have not made a decision on whether Starliner — or another craft — will return the astronauts to Earth, but said that decision will probably be made in the next week or so.
One scenario being considered has Williams and Wilmore coming home on a SpaceX Dragon 9 capsule that was scheduled to take off this month but has now had its launch date pushed back until Sept. 24 at the earliest.
However, that means Williams and Wilmore wouldn't be able to return with the Dragon 9 crew until February 2025 — extending their initial one-week mission to around seven months. In addition, the space station only has two docking ports that can accommodate U.S. spacecraft, both of which are currently occupied. That means one would need to open up before the Dragon 9 crew can arrive.
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NASA has insisted that the veteran astronauts are not stranded in space, and says they would be clear to fly Starliner home, but only if it's an emergency. NASA said it is continuing to evaluate tests of the failed Starliner thrusters to better understand what went wrong before they make a decision on how to return them to earth.
In the meantime, Williams and Wilmore are keeping busy as two extra members of the International Space Station crew, and say they are happy to get an extended stay in zero gravity.
"We've been doing science for them, maintenance, some major maintenance that has been waiting for a little while," Williams said last month.
