Bec Oakes
Two astronauts have been left stranded in space after the Boeing Starliner capsule that was supposed to bring them home ran into a series of technical issues.
Now, test-pilots Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams have spoken out.
On June 5, 2024, the NASA astronauts set out on an eight-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS). They were due to return to Earth later the same month.
However, they ran into trouble when the new Boeing Starliner capsule - that launched them into space and was supposed to bring them home - experienced thruster failures and helium leaks.
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As a result, Wilmore and Williams have had to stay on the ISS for longer than planned while NASA rushes to come up with a solution.
A return date for the astronauts is yet to be announced, with NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich saying, "We'll come home when we're ready."
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As it stands, the pair are safe on the Starliner, with Stich confirming that there are sufficient supplies and resources for them, but time is running out.
On 24 September, a SpaceX Crew-9 mission is set to launch, transporting three NASA astronauts and one Roscosmos cosmonaut to the ISS.
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This adds urgency to the situation because the Starliner is currently in the way. The docking port currently occupied by the Starliner must be cleared in order to make way for the new crew.
Now, the pair have been asked whether they have any concerns about returning on the Starliner given its technical problems.
Speaking from the ISS during a virtual press conference, Williams said: "We've been through a lot of simulations for this spacecraft to go through all sorts of iterations failures.
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"I think where we are right now and what we know right now and how the spacecraft flew as it was coming in to do the docking, I feel confident that if we had to... if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we could get in our spacecraft and we can can undock, talk to our team and figure out the best way to come home."
She continued: "We've practiced a lot so I have a real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem."
While NASA and Boeing have been working tirelessly to fix the problems with the Starliner, if it remains inoperative, NASA will have to consider alternative methods to get the astronauts home, including potentially using a SpaceX Dragon capsule.