٠٠:٠٣:٣٨Mandatory credit: NASA TV
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced the two astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will return to Earth on a SpaceX-crewed Dragon flight next February after concluding that sending them home on Boeing's faulty Starliner would be 'too risky'.
"NASA has decided that 'Butch' and 'Suni' will return with Crew 9 next February and that Starliner will return uncrewed, and the specifics and the schedule will be discussed momentarily," Nelson said during a live news briefing in Houston.
"I want you to know that Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to get the necessary data to make this decision. We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS," he continued.
Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore arrived at the ISS aboard Starliner in June on a mission originally scheduled to last eight days. During its flight to the space station, Boeing discovered that its spacecraft's thrusters had failed and its helium systems were leaking.
Eleven weeks later, Nelson said the decision to send the astronauts home on a SpaceX craft - due to launch next month as part of a crew rotation mission - was made as a result of a 'commitment to safety'.
"Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine, and a test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine, and so the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety," the NASA chief said.
Meanwhile, Nelson's colleague, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, said the decision had not been easy.
"They have persevered, and I want them to know how grateful I am that they are on our team. This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one," he said.
It comes as the latest blow to Boeing, who has faced criticism this year after one of its 737 Max 9 passenger jets lost a rear door plug midflight, prompting officials to ground other 737 Max 9 jets for weeks.
'This has not been an easy decision' - NASA says stranded ISS astronauts won’t return to Earth until February
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced the two astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will return to Earth on a SpaceX-crewed Dragon flight next February after concluding that sending them home on Boeing's faulty Starliner would be 'too risky'.
"NASA has decided that 'Butch' and 'Suni' will return with Crew 9 next February and that Starliner will return uncrewed, and the specifics and the schedule will be discussed momentarily," Nelson said during a live news briefing in Houston.
"I want you to know that Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to get the necessary data to make this decision. We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS," he continued.
Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore arrived at the ISS aboard Starliner in June on a mission originally scheduled to last eight days. During its flight to the space station, Boeing discovered that its spacecraft's thrusters had failed and its helium systems were leaking.
Eleven weeks later, Nelson said the decision to send the astronauts home on a SpaceX craft - due to launch next month as part of a crew rotation mission - was made as a result of a 'commitment to safety'.
"Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine, and a test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine, and so the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety," the NASA chief said.
Meanwhile, Nelson's colleague, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, said the decision had not been easy.
"They have persevered, and I want them to know how grateful I am that they are on our team. This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one," he said.
It comes as the latest blow to Boeing, who has faced criticism this year after one of its 737 Max 9 passenger jets lost a rear door plug midflight, prompting officials to ground other 737 Max 9 jets for weeks.
Mandatory credit: NASA TV
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced the two astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will return to Earth on a SpaceX-crewed Dragon flight next February after concluding that sending them home on Boeing's faulty Starliner would be 'too risky'.
"NASA has decided that 'Butch' and 'Suni' will return with Crew 9 next February and that Starliner will return uncrewed, and the specifics and the schedule will be discussed momentarily," Nelson said during a live news briefing in Houston.
"I want you to know that Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to get the necessary data to make this decision. We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS," he continued.
Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore arrived at the ISS aboard Starliner in June on a mission originally scheduled to last eight days. During its flight to the space station, Boeing discovered that its spacecraft's thrusters had failed and its helium systems were leaking.
Eleven weeks later, Nelson said the decision to send the astronauts home on a SpaceX craft - due to launch next month as part of a crew rotation mission - was made as a result of a 'commitment to safety'.
"Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine, and a test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine, and so the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety," the NASA chief said.
Meanwhile, Nelson's colleague, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, said the decision had not been easy.
"They have persevered, and I want them to know how grateful I am that they are on our team. This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one," he said.
It comes as the latest blow to Boeing, who has faced criticism this year after one of its 737 Max 9 passenger jets lost a rear door plug midflight, prompting officials to ground other 737 Max 9 jets for weeks.