NASA has announced its decision regarding the return to Earth of two astronauts who were sent to the space station for two weeks but have been stranded there since the beginning of June due to the malfunction of Boeing’s Starliner shuttle.
THEY WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!
NASA has decided that it is too risky to return two astronauts to Earth with Boeing’s faulty capsule. In this context, the astronauts will have to wait until next year to return from space with the SpaceX capsule.
Thus, the test flight that was supposed to last 1 week for 2 astronauts will last more than 8 months.
Veteran pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stranded on the International Space Station since June. “A test flight, by its very nature, is neither safe nor routine. So this decision is a commitment to safety,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
“This was not an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one,” said Executive Vice President Jim Free.
Boeing, which owns the faulty shuttle, said in a written statement following the postponement: “Boeing continues to focus on the safety of the crew and spacecraft above all else. We are conducting the mission as determined by NASA and preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful return without a crew.”
The Starliner shuttle is expected to return under autopilot and land in the New Mexico desert in early September.
WHAT HAPPENED?
After 2 delays, Boeing sent the Starliner shuttle carrying 2 NASA astronauts into space for the first time on June 5. Despite the examinations carried out on the shuttle where a helium leak was detected, the source of the problem could not be found and the vehicle’s return to Earth was delayed 4 times.
NASA astronauts are scheduled to spend a week at the space station, but there is no clarity yet on the exact return date and how they will return.