Astronauts on ‘8-day mission’ may wait in space until 2025

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astronaut "Mission 8 days" They may wait in space until 2025.

It seems increasingly likely that two American astronauts heading to the International Space Station for a few days will have to spend the summer, Christmas and New Year in space.

this as follows A statement from NASA acknowledged that there are still safety issues with Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. Exactly how they will get home has not yet been determined, which means Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams may have to watch their spacecraft sail back to Earth empty.

At the moment, it seems that the other option to bring them home is to return with SpaceX, but in February: Elon Musk’s company plans a flight at the end of September. However, this would require withdrawing the astronauts from the next flight to make room for Wilmore and Williams (so that they can return with the rest of the astronauts and end their time on the ISS on time).

NASA typically sends four astronauts to the ISS every six months, and another four return to Earth. For the September flight, the current planned crew is four (three Americans and one Russian). If the capsule leaves with a reduced crew, Williams and Wilmore will officially become part of the ISS crew in February.

Capsule Problem

No decision has been made yet, with Boeing insisting the capsule is safe enough to remain the leading option for a return.

At the same time, thrust problems and helium leaks in the propulsion system (possibly related to seal failure) were detected at the following locations: Wilmore and Williams began their journey to the station on June 5They made it to the International Space Station without incident, but if NASA doesn’t confirm the reliability of the Starliner, they will have to find another way to get home.

If they have to wait for SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, that would mean they would have to spend a total of eight months in space. A final decision could take at least another week, according to NASA. Earlier, NASA used SpaceX rockets to deliver additional supplies — food and clothing — to the International Space Station.

The decision is also important for the fate of NASA’s plans to use Starliner for future missions to and from the International Space Station, as will be the case with the Crew Dragon spacecraft once NASA approves it from 2020. Turn it off and the launch of a SpaceX capsule, currently scheduled for September 24.