This Tuesday, NASA announced a new delay in the return of two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The mission will not return to Earth until spring, 10 months later having been sent in Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
The mission was originally planned to return in a week. The astronauts took off on June 5 towards the International Space Station. At first, its mission was extended from eight days to eight months, as NASA decided to bring back the uncrewed capsule in September due to the problems it presented.
Since replacement of the initial capsule is now needed to return, The astronauts sent on the mission will have to return to Earth until the end of March, or even April.
A new team needs to be launched before Wilmore and Williams can return, and the next mission has been postponed for more than a month, according to the space agency.
NASA’s next four-member crew was scheduled to lift off in February, followed by Wilmore and Williams’ return home later that month along with two other astronauts. But SpaceX needs more time to prepare the new capsule for takeoff. That release is now scheduled for no earlier than the end of March.
NASA said it considered using a different SpaceX capsule to carry the replacement team in order to keep flights on schedule. But he decided the best option was to wait for the new capsule to transport the next team.
NASA prefers to have overlapping equipment on the space station for a less complicated transition, according to officials.
Most missions to the space station last six months, but some have reached a full year.
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