Pilot Sunita Williams ve komutan Barry Wilmore, 2025 yılında SpaceX uçuşuyla Dünya'ya dönecekler
26 august 2024 в 19:37
Pilot Sunita «Suni» Williams and Commander Barry «Batch» Wilmore from NASA’s Boeing Starliner will return home in 2025 on a SpaceX flight. The news came more than two months after the astronauts embarked on their mission, which was planned for an eight-day stay in space.
«NASA has decided that Batch and Suni will return with [SpaceX] Crew-9 next February, and Starliner will return without a crew», - NASA administrator Bill Nelson said at a press conference on August 24, according to the space agency’s website.
Nelson noted that Boeing «worked very diligently with NASA to obtain the necessary data to make this decision», - pointing out that space flights come with risks.
«We want to further understand the root causes and understand design improvements so that Boeing Starliner becomes an important part of our crewed access to the ISS», - he explained, referring to NASA. «Space flight is risky, even at its safest and most routine, and a test flight by its nature is not safe and routine, so the decision to leave Batch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and return Boeing Starliner home without a crew is a result of commitment to safety: our core value and our guiding star. I am grateful to both the NASA team and the Boeing team for all their incredible and detailed work».
Williams and Wilmore began their mission on the ISS on June 5. The mission was a test for Starliner to obtain NASA approval for future regular flights. After launching from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Starliner experienced technical problems, leading to the commander and pilot spending several months in space. Among the mechanical problems were helium leaks, according to NASA.
After a NASA review, it was concluded that it would be safer for Williams and Wilmore to return home via the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in February 2025.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich insisted that Starliner is «a very capable spacecraft, and ultimately, it comes down to the need for a higher level of confidence for crewed return».
«The NASA and Boeing teams have conducted a tremendous amount of testing and analysis, and this test flight provides critical information on Starliner’s performance in space», - Stich added. «Our efforts will help prepare for crewless return and significantly aid in future corrective measures for the spacecraft»
«NASA has decided that Batch and Suni will return with [SpaceX] Crew-9 next February, and Starliner will return without a crew», - NASA administrator Bill Nelson said at a press conference on August 24, according to the space agency’s website.
Nelson noted that Boeing «worked very diligently with NASA to obtain the necessary data to make this decision», - pointing out that space flights come with risks.
«We want to further understand the root causes and understand design improvements so that Boeing Starliner becomes an important part of our crewed access to the ISS», - he explained, referring to NASA. «Space flight is risky, even at its safest and most routine, and a test flight by its nature is not safe and routine, so the decision to leave Batch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and return Boeing Starliner home without a crew is a result of commitment to safety: our core value and our guiding star. I am grateful to both the NASA team and the Boeing team for all their incredible and detailed work».
Williams and Wilmore began their mission on the ISS on June 5. The mission was a test for Starliner to obtain NASA approval for future regular flights. After launching from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Starliner experienced technical problems, leading to the commander and pilot spending several months in space. Among the mechanical problems were helium leaks, according to NASA.
After a NASA review, it was concluded that it would be safer for Williams and Wilmore to return home via the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in February 2025.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich insisted that Starliner is «a very capable spacecraft, and ultimately, it comes down to the need for a higher level of confidence for crewed return».
«The NASA and Boeing teams have conducted a tremendous amount of testing and analysis, and this test flight provides critical information on Starliner’s performance in space», - Stich added. «Our efforts will help prepare for crewless return and significantly aid in future corrective measures for the spacecraft»
© Artemenko Olga
