Astronauts stranded in space face further setback as SpaceX delays ISS rescue mission
18 December 2024, 11:19
Two astronauts stranded in space are facing more bad news after a mission to return them to Earth faced a further setback.
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Suni Williams, 58, and Butch Wilmore, 51, may not return home until April 2025 after finding themselves stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The pair have been stuck in space since June this year - a mission that was meant to last eight days - after Boeing's Starliner, designed to transfer astronauts to the ISS, failed and was brought back to Earth empty.
It's now been revealed that the replacement crew won't set off until March, with the crew requiring more time to prepare.
The next crew of four was supposed to launch in February, with Wilmore and Williams' returning home at the end of the month, accompanied by two other astronauts.
By the time the pair land on earth, the astronauts' mission will have dragged on for 10 months.
A new spacecraft will meet them as the NASA facility in January, with the fresh crew replacing them in the spring.
NASA's commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, said to the Telegraph: "Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavour that requires great attention to detail."
Boeing's capsule faced thruster failure and helium leaks after its summer launch, resulting in delays.
NASA advised Boeing to take the safer option and transfer their astronauts back to earth using a SpaceX capsule instead.
It comes months after an astronaut has been rushed to hospital after returning to Earth with an unexplained medical condition.
The whole crew was taken to hospital out of precaution, but did not say if all or some of the astronauts had been suffering from the medical condition.
