NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will stay on the ISS for 8 months instead of just 8 days. Due to problems with the Starliner module, they will come home onboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
Boeing’s crewed Starliner capsule encountered helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters on June 6 as it approached the International Space Station (ISS). Even though the company performed rigorous testing both on the ground and in orbit to identify the root cause, NASA representatives were not in universal agreement over the fate of Starliner.
For a long time, the agency downplayed the issues that resulted in the prolonged stay of its astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. However, behind the scenes, the possibility of the crew’s return on a competing Crew Dragon spacecraft was seriously considered.
The possibility was first reported by Ars Technica’s senior space editor, Eric Berger, who received harsh criticism from some of the space enthusiasts online, accusing him of essentially fabricating the story.
