SUNITA WILLIAMS STUCK IN SPACE: WHY DID NASA SCHEDULE HER RETURN TO EARTH IN 2025?

Amid months of speculations and assurance, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) finally confirmed the date of Sunita Williams's return space flight to Earth on Saturday. The US space agency said that the Boeing Starliner capsule will return from the International Spac Station without Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. Meanwhile, the two astronauts will return to the Earth in February 2025 aboard the Dragon capsule of SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk.

Why did NASA postpone Sunita Williams's return flight to 2025?

On Saturday, NASA officials said that it is “too risky” to bring the astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, back to Earth currently. Hence, the Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth without the two astronauts. 

"Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Starliner is expected to depart from the space station and make a safe, controlled autonomous re-entry and landing in early September," ANI quoted NASA in a statement.

How has Elon Musk's SpaceX come to the rescue?

Elon Musk's SpaceX is currently the only American company which is capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Although there is a SpaceX capsule currently parked at the ISS, it is reserved for the four residents who have been at the space station since March. They are scheduled to return in September this year. SpaceX's next spaceflight is schedule for launch in February next year.

2024-08-25T04:49:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd