Astronauts stuck in space 'may be stranded until 2025' meaning eight-day trip could last eight months
8 August 2024, 12:40
Two astronauts who are stuck on the international space station may not be able to return to Earth until 2025, according to NASA officials.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The US space agency is considering whether to send Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back on a craft belonging to SpaceX - Elon Musk's company - rather than the Boeing capsule they had originally been scheduled to use.
Nasa and Boeing have tried to bring the astronauts home three times on the Starliner capsule, but some NASA staff have concerns over whether the craft is safe.
That could mean that Williams and Wilmore have to watch the Starliner return to Earth without them.
The next SpaceX flight delivering astronauts to the space station is in September. The Crew Dragon capsule has room to fly four astronauts up from Earth, but could take only two to leave room to take Williams and Wilmore back.
The Crew Dragon is scheduled to return in February next year.
If they returned home on the SpaceX craft, the pair would have been stuck on the space station for about eight months - when they had only expected to be away from Earth for eight days.
NASA and Boeing are still testing the Starliner aircraft and are continuing to analyse the thruster failures it endured before docking.
"We could take either path," said Ken Bowersox, NASA’s space operations mission chief. "And reasonable people could pick either path."
Boeing has said publicly that it "remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew".
They added in a statement: "We continue to support NASA’s requests for additional testing, data, analysis and reviews to affirm the spacecraft’s safe undocking and landing capabilities."
Starliner has also suffered five helium leaks and issues with a propellant five, as well as the problems with the thrusters,
This was the first crewed test of the Starliner capsule before it can be certified to use to make regular trips to the space station.
The astronauts have plenty of supplies, and have spent their time testing vital systems to make sure they are functioning correctly.
But it signals another blow to Boeing after a series of high-profile problems with its commercial aircraft in recent months.
