Boeing’s Starliner test pilots were stranded on the International Space Station due to engine failure. The two won’t get home until February aboard Space X.
Two astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) will have to wait until next year to return home, the US space agency Nasa says.
Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams was originally supposed to perform an eight-day test flight on Boeing’s Starliner in early June. However, the Starliner’s thrusters malfunctioned, and the two were stranded on the ISS. Now the space journey will last a total of eight months.
According to Nasa, the return on the Starliner is too risky, and therefore the astronauts will be brought home aboard Boeing’s competitor Space X in February. The Starliner is brought back without a crew.
The development of the Starliner dragged on for years. Elon Musk’s owning Space X’s Crew-9 ship running into trouble is a hard blow for Boeing.
From the beginning, Space X was supposed to launch Crew-9 into space at the end of September. Now the ship’s crew will be reduced from four to two so that Wilmore and Williams can fit on board on the return trip.
Ten years ago, NASA ordered new ships from Boeing and Space X that could transport astronauts to and from the ISS. In this way, there would always be a spare vessel ready in case of problems with the other one.
However, for the past four years, Space X’s craft has been the only astronaut taxi between the ISS and Earth.
According to NASA, there are enough supplies for the astronauts on the ISS. In addition, they are trained for extended periods in space, and can conduct various experiments while awaiting return.
Source: AFP