Stranded in space: Starliner crew to remain in orbit even longer as SpaceX faces delays

Two astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s problem-plagued Starliner are facing another extended delay. 

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the ISS on board the calamity capsule last June, scheduled to stay for around a week, are looking at another month of delays, NASA said yesterday, as the SpaceX Dragon craft being built for the Crew-10 mission will need an extra month of work to get it ready to fly.

“NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 now is targeting no earlier than late March 2025 to launch four crew members to the International Space Station,” the space agency said, pushing the previously planned launch in February back to give NASA and SpaceX teams “time to complete processing” on the new craft. 

“Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail,” said NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich. 

We’ve reached out to NASA and SpaceX to learn more about the source of the delays, but haven’t heard back from either. While we don’t know specifics, NASA does seem to have known for a while that the new Dragon capsule that would first fly for Crew-10 might be behind schedule. 

The agency said, along with SpaceX, they had assessed several options for getting the existing crew – including Wilmore and Williams – back to Earth for handoff to the next rotation. Options included using an existing Dragon spacecraft and making manifest adjustments, but these were ruled out in favor of launching Crew-10 in late March. As a result, the poor Boeing test pilots will extend their stay in space by another month, turning their planned week-long mission into around nine months in orbit. 

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“After careful consideration, the team determined that launching Crew-10 in late March, following completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, was the best option for meeting NASA’s requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025,” NASA said. “The space station recently received two resupply flights in November and is well-stocked with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothing, and oxygen.

“The resupply spacecraft also carried special items for the crew to celebrate the holidays aboard the orbital platform,” NASA added, though we imagine Butch and Suni may have preferred to be home for the holidays. 

For those that don’t recall, the stranded pair went to space on Boeing’s ill-fated entry into the commercial crew program after years of delays with the craft. During its approach to the ISS, Starliner experienced thruster problems and a helium leak, leading to NASA’s decision to send the capsule back to Earth without a crew.

Starliner returned home in September, leaving troubled Boeing with another black eye and uncertainty about the future of its space operations – Boeing didn’t even choose to participate in a press conference after Starliner’s return, only releasing a statement that it planned to “review the data and determine the next steps for the program.” ®