NASA makes room on SpaceX flight to rescue astronauts Sunita Williams & Wilmore stuck in orbit

NASA on Friday removed two astronauts from the next crew to make room on the return trip for Suni Williams and Butch Wilmorestuck stranded at the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian Aleksandr Gorbunov will launch in September aboard a SpaceX rocket for the orbiting laboratory. The duo will return with Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore in February. NASA decided it’s too risky for Williams and Wilmore to fly home in their Boeing Starliner capsule, marred by thruster troubles and helium leaks.

Bumped from the SpaceX flight: NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson. NASA said they could fly on future missions.

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The space agency said it took into account spaceflight experience and other factors in making the decision.

Last week, NASA chief Bill Nelson that a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will bring two NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams who flew to the International Space Station in June aboard Boeing’s faulty Starliner capsule, to Earth on a SpaceX vehicle early next year.

Once a symbol of American engineering and technological prowess, Boeing has seen its reputation battered since two 737 Max airliners crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. The safety of its products came under renewed scrutiny after a panel blew out of a Max during a flight this January.

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Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both former military test pilots, became the first crew to ride Starliner on June 5 when they were launched to the space station for an eight-day test mission.

But Starliner’s propulsion system suffered a series of glitches, triggering months of delays. Five of its 28 thrusters failed and it sprang several leaks of helium, which is used to pressurize the thrusters.

NASA turned to private businesses a decade ago, wanting two competing U.S. companies ferrying astronauts in the post-shuttle era.

Williams and Wilmore were Boeing’s first crew, arriving at the space station in June for what was supposed to be a weeklong stay. Their capsule will return empty as early as next Friday, aiming for a touchdown in the New Mexico desert.

With inputs from agencies.