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Chandigarh, August 8

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), may return to Earth on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in February 2025 instead of Boeing’s Starliner, NASA officials disclosed. The decision stems from concerns about the safety of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, prompting NASA to consider alternative plans.

“If NASA takes that extraordinary route, it could mean that Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, the NASA astronauts who launched on Boeing’s Starliner, would have their mission, originally scheduled for about eight days, extended to eight months, to February 2025, when SpaceX’s flight is scheduled to return,” reported The Washington Post.

During a media interaction on Thursday, a US space agency official mentioned that several options have been weighed, including one that would ensure the astronauts’ return in 2025 using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, stated that the prime option remains to return Butch and Sunita on Starliner. However, he emphasized that NASA has made necessary plans to ensure other options are available, according to the Mint.