On August 6, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) postponed SpaceX’s flight to bring astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) due to issues related to Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
Astronauts were transported to the ISS by the Endeavour spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA on March 4, 2024. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN)
After successfully sending two NASA astronauts to the ISS in early June, the Starliner has been “docked” for the past two months due to the discovery of propulsion system malfunctions and a helium leak during its flight. As a result, it is currently unclear when this spacecraft will be able to return to Earth.
The flight was scheduled to carry the next group of four ISS crew members, known as Crew-9, in mid-August, to replace the current crew of four (Crew-8) aboard the space station. However, due to the issues with the Starliner and an additional two astronauts who are “stranded,” NASA has had to develop an alternative plan to bring them back to Earth.
According to NASA, the Crew-9 flight, which is tentatively scheduled to launch as early as September 24, may return the two “stranded” astronauts along with only two members of Crew-8, giving Boeing additional time to resolve the issues with the Starliner. If safety concerns regarding the Starliner are not addressed, the spacecraft may return to Earth without a crew.
Nasa currently plans to hold a press conference on August 7 to provide updates on Crew-9 and the Starliner spacecraft.
