NASA has announced that the astronauts aboard the International Space Station will face an extended delay in returning to Earth.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were scheduled to return after a brief week-long mission that began with their launch in June.
Their stay has been prolonged until February of the following year due to technical complications involving the experimental spacecraft Starliner, which Boeing manufactures.
Due to a delay in the launch of a new capsule to the International Space Station, the duo’s return has been pushed back to late March or potentially April.
NASA has stated that the delay does not present any risk to the astronauts.
NASA announced that the International Space Station successfully received two resupply flights in November, ensuring the crew was well-equipped with essential supplies such as food, water, clothing, and oxygen. The resupply spacecraft delivered special items for the crew to commemorate the holidays aboard the orbital platform.
Typically, missions aboard the space station span six months, although some extend to a full year. Dr. Simeon Barber from the Open University has stated that the extension of Butch and Suni’s already overdue stay in space is not expected to pose any issues.
“It is likely that they are feeling disheartened about missing Christmas celebrations with their families back home.” “However, this extension adds another two months to an already lengthy mission. I’m confident that if you were to ask the crew, they would express their fondness for being aboard the space station,” he stated.
The space agency has reported that a new crew must be launched before the return of Wilmore and Williams, with the following mission experiencing a delay of over a month.
The upcoming crew of four from NASA, designated for the International Space Station, was initially scheduled for launch in February 2025. The capsule designated for the crew was scheduled to transport Butch and Sunni back home, alongside NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, in a routine crew rotation.
However, the private sector company SpaceX needs to prepare a new Dragon capsule for the upcoming mission. The timeline for flight readiness has been set for no earlier than late March.
NASA announced that it explored utilizing an alternative SpaceX capsule to transport the replacement crew, aiming to maintain the flight schedule.
The decision has been made to postpone the launch and await the arrival of the new capsule for the next crew’s transportation.
