NASA swaps SpaceX capsules to allow earlier return of Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore (original) (raw)

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, the two NASA astronauts who went into space on June 5 last year aboard Boeing’s Starliner’s debut piloted flight, have been stranded in space for over eight months. (file)

In an effort to bring back stranded Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, NASA swapped the astronaut capsule it intends to use for an upcoming flight to the International Space Station which could mean an earlier return for the two astronauts by a few days.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, the two NASA astronauts who went into space on June 5 last year aboard Boeing’s Starliner’s debut piloted flight, have been stranded in space for over eight months however they went for a presumed eight-to-10-day mission.

In an update about bringing Williams and Wilmore back, NASA informed that mission management teams have opted to use a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for its Crew-10 mission to the space station.

NASA and SpaceX are accelerating the target launch and return dates for the upcoming crew rotation missions to and from @Space_Station.#Crew10 launch now is targeted for March 12, pending mission readiness and completion of flight readiness: https://t.co/MhBNJCL80F pic.twitter.com/ZZs9NltVI5

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) February 11, 2025

Earlier, a new SpaceX capsule was scheduled to be used to bring the stranded astronauts back to Earth but the US space agency said that its production has been delayed.

The decision by NASA to swap the astronaut capsule has advanced the Crew-10 launch date to March 12, from the previous target of March 25.

The Boeing’s Starliner’s piloted flight, which is being considered as an alternative to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Crew Dragon faced propellant leaks and pressurization problems in its propulsion system during its debut flight carrying Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.

Now, the return of two astronauts who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in the faulty Starliner capsule in June depends entirely on the arrival of the Crew-10’s four-person crew in order to keep the station’s American contingent staffed at normal levels, Reuters reported.