NASA’s Contingency Plan for Astronaut Return
In a recent media briefing, NASA officials announced their strategy for the early return of astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams from the International Space Station (ISS) slated for next year. In the event that they cannot depart sooner using the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which initially transported them to orbit, their alternate option would involve SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, currently facing launch delays as teams assess next steps.
Challenges Faced by the Starliner Mission
The Boeing Starliner successfully completed its crewed launch on June 5 following numerous postponements. Initially, Wilmore and Williams were expected to remain aboard the ISS for approximately a week before returning home via parachute landing. However, during its docking process with the ISS, the spacecraft encountered issues such as thruster malfunctions and helium leaks…
Stay tuned for further updates…
