Boeing Starliner crew's return to Earth from International Space Station delayed yet again

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: December 17, 2024 / 7:35 PM EST


Two astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station aboard Boeing's troubled Starliner more than six months ago will not return to Earth until at least March 2025, NASA announced Tuesday.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams traveled to the space station aboard the Starliner back in June. Their trip was initially only to last about eight to 10 days, but multiple issues with the Starliner prompted a concerned NASA, out of caution, to leave them behind at the space station and return the capsule to Earth empty in September.

That same month, a SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon capsule with a reduced two-person crew and two empty seats launched to the space station with the intention of returning Wilmore and Williams aboard it in February 2025.

However, NASA said in a news release Tuesday that Wilmore and Williams' replacements, traveling aboard the SpaceX Crew-10, would be launching to the space station "no earlier than late March 2025," meaning that would be the earliest that Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth. The most recent delay in the Crew-10's launch is to give "NASA and SpaceX teams time to complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boeing-starliner-crew-return-to-earth-delayed-again-nasa-astronauts-butch-wilmore-suni-williams/

[Bengus81]

1. Afraid a door will blow off upon re-entry?

[BumRushDaShow]

2. In this case

It's SpaceX with the problem.

[maxsolomon]

8. LOL, Boeing zinger

The Boeing capsule already returned to Earth, safely. Turns out the astronauts could have been on it, but it was a risk at the time, so they let them waste away on the ISS for who knows how long now.

[oasis]

3. Wouldn't blame Butch and Suni for becoming

desk jockeys for the rest of their careers.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Boing owes the two astronauts a great deal

[JohnnyRingo]

5. I hope they're getting Valiums to them.

Nerves are bound to get frayed and it's not easy to live with random partners, especially in such small quarters.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. They had been on the ISS before

and are veterans of living in there (especially Suni who held long duration records the times she was there).

Suni was there 4 times before (2006, 2007, & 2x in 2012) and Butch Wilmore had been there twice before (2009 & 2014).

They know the drill but are obviously "older" too!

[republianmushroom]

7. chuckle chuckle

What an over time bill this is going to be.

[LudwigPastorius]

9. How long before they snap and lose it?