NASA considers SpaceX for bringing back astronauts from ISS amid Starliner glitches; decision pending

NASA is facing an escalating crisis and pressure as astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams find themselves stranded on the ISS (International Space Station). Originally slated for just an 8-day trip, the duo’s return has been indefinitely deferred due to critical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. NASA informed on Wednesday that it is considering every way to get its astronauts back home. One view is to have astronauts return in 2025, and they’re thinking about employing Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, which is a rival to Boeing.

At a press conference, Kenneth Bowersox (NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space Operations) talked about the challenges of returning the astronauts and underlined alternative solutions. He stressed that depending solely on the Starliner for their return may not be reasonable. “We have the option to bring them back on another vehicle,” he said. The astronauts, who were launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner, have been stranded in space for over two months.

While their presence makes available extra support to the Expedition 71 crew, their prolonged stay is causing rapid depletion of the ISS’s resources as per the spokesperson. Initially tentative about considering other return options, NASA officials are now openly thinking about the possibility of utilizing a different spacecraft for return journey of the astronauts. Nevertheless, a consensus on the best course of action has not been reached yet.

NASA to work with Space X?

Steve Stich (Commercial Crew Program manager) highlighted that NASA is joining forces with SpaceX to prepare for the return journey of astronauts on Crew 9. “We have been working with SpaceX to ensure that they are ready to respond on Crew 9… returning Butch and Suni on Crew 9 if we need that,” he said.

This plan would require selecting just two out of the four astronauts originally assigned to the mission, while also adding extra spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams. NASA announced the deferment of the SpaceX Crew 9 mission on Tuesday, moving its launch from mid-August to September 25th, this year.

Sunita William- Butch Wilmore stuck till February 2025?

“We have set up the Dragon for Crew 9 to have flexibility, to have only two passengers fly up on that flight and then we can return four crew members in February 2025 time frame, and Butch and Suni would remain on station as part of that increment and return home with them on Crew 9,” the NASA official offered explanation about their plans of bringing the crew back.

Nonetheless, the decision has not been made yet, and officials have given indications that it will take a week or so to reach a final conclusion. Returning the astronauts employing a SpaceX craft would be a major setback for Boeing, which has been trying hard for years to compete with its rival and was optimistic for its latest mission. Upon its arrival at the ISS, the Starliner encountered quite a few technical issues.