The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reiterated in a statement this week that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are not “stranded” in space.
“Butch and Suni are safe on the space station and working with the Expedition 71 crew. They have also been actively involved in Starliner testing and technical meetings. Butch and Suni can return home on Starliner if an emergency arises…” NASA said on Tuesday.
Both NASA astronauts left for space on June 5 on Boeing’s Starliner aircraft and reached the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6.
The return of the Starliner and two astronauts has now been delayed by months due to a malfunction in the spacecraft. NASA reported, “During Starliner’s flight to the space station, some of the spacecraft’s thrusters did not perform as expected and several leaks were observed in Starliner’s helium system.”
Officials in space and on the ground are conducting studies and research to investigate the root cause of the Boeing spacecraft malfunction and “learn more about the spacecraft.” “NASA is using the additional time to understand the spacecraft’s technical issues before deciding on a return plan,” the US space agency said.
How long could Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore stay in the ISS?
Responding to one of the FAQs (frequently asked questions), NASA said that if the space agency decides to send the Starliner back without a crew, Butch and Sunita will remain on the ISS until the end of February 2025.
“In that particular case, NASA will replan the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission in late September with only two crew members launching instead of four. Butch and Suni will return to Earth following the regularly scheduled Crew-9 increment early next year,” NASA said.
However, no decision has been made yet on whether Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return on a Starliner or a SpaceX spacecraft. “Butch and Suni could return home on a Starliner, or they could return as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission early next year,” the statement said.
NASA further said that a person’s typical stay on the International Space Station is about six months. It also said that NASA astronauts have been on the space station for long-duration missions as well.
Are Sunita and Butch ready to stay on the ISS for the long haul?
Butch and Sunita have previously completed two long-duration stays on the ISS, NASA said. “NASA astronauts embark on missions fully aware of the various scenarios that could become reality. This mission is no different, and they understood the possibilities and unknowns of this test flight, including staying on station longer than planned,” NASA said.
NASA is expected to make a decision on Starliner’s return by the end of August. “We’re getting to the point where we should really be making a decision in the last week of August, if not earlier,” Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, previously said.
