On Jun. 5when American astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore. And Sunita Williams launched to the International Space Station (ISS) for an eight-day test mission. They were expecting a quick return. However, nearly two months later. They are still at the space station and face spending the summer, Christmas, and New Year in space.
Mission Challenges WilmoreÂ
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, were part of a history-making mission flying Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on its first crewed flight to prove the vehicle for future use. Technical issues cropped up during Starliner’s approach to the ISS. These included problems with propulsion system leaks. And thrusters shutting down. The issues did not prevent a safe docking with the station. But if Starliner is not safe for reentry, another way home will be required.
NASA’s Contingency Planning WilmoreÂ
NASA officials outlined possible solutions at Tuesday’s news briefing (Aug. 3). Steve Stich, Aug. 3r of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said that bringing the astronauts back aboard Starliner remains the top preference, but other plans are also being considered. These include potentially adding Wilmore and Williams to a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission launching in September and bringing them home in February 2025; that spacecraft is currently slated to carry four crewmembers.
Possible Implications for Boeing
If Crew Dragon does come into play for this return trip from orbit — which would require approving transportation of more than four astronauts rather than just four seats — then Starliner would come back without anyone aboard under computer control. A final decision could take a week or so, NASA officials said. Ken Bowersox, NASA’s space operations director, said there has been a greater likelihood of an uncrewed return by Starliner. Using SpaceX for this trip home would mark another setback for Boeing, which has been trying to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon; that vehicle has been cleared for NASA crew missions since 2020.
Life on the ISS
According to NASA, Wilmore and Williams have made the best of their unexpected extended stay. Williams, making her third trip to the space station, and Wilmore, a veteran astronaut, have blended seamlessly with the station’s crew. They have kept busy and adapted well to life in space. In Tuesday’s briefing, Williams described her comfort and pleasure at returning to space again, expressing confidence in their mission and Starliner.
Historical Context
While this extension is long — only one American has spent longer continuously in space than the time Wilmore. And Williams will rack up if they come home next year. It is not unprecedented. Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov holds the record for most consecutive days in space. With nearly 438 on Russia’s Mir space station in the mid-1990s. Most recently, NASA astronaut Christina Koch returned from an almost yearlong ISS mission in February 2020. That flight set an endurance record for U.S. astronauts but fell short of Polyakov’s mark by about two months. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, currently aboard the ISS, has surpassed 750 cumulative days over his three missions. He has spent more than 1,000 days total in orbit across those flights.
Wilmore and Williams maintain high spirits despite having their work cut out on a timeline stretching significantly longer than they’d trained for. They continue to do their duties as planned. While staying flexible enough to adapt as needed throughout a mission that will now be remembered mostly because of its twists and turns.
