Boeing's "Starliner": Astronauts will probably be stuck on the ISS for months

Spaceship trouble in space. The two NASA astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) must prepare for more months in space.

► The reason: problems with the crisis-ridden Boeingspacecraft “Starliner”. The astronauts have now been hanging on the ISS Their mission was originally only planned for about a week.

The NASA announced at a press conference that there is still no fixed date for the return of the astronauts. Two options are currently being discussed:

A return of astronaut Suni Williams and her colleague Barry Wilmore on board the Starlineras originally planned. However, for this to happen, the problems with the engines and helium leaks would have to be finally clarified and solved, which has not yet been achieved.
The Starliner could fly back to Earth without a crew. However, this would require extensive software reconfiguration. The launch of the “Crew Dragon” from SpaceX could then be carried out with only two astronauts instead of four. Williams and Wilmore would be part of this crew and would return to Earth in February 2025.

Astronauts do their best

Williams and Wilmore are a great help in the activities on the ISS and involved in everything, says NASAManager Steve Stich. “They are ready to do whatever has to be done.” A final decision on how to proceed will probably be made by mid-August.

The Starliner is a partially reusable spacecraft. It consists of a three-meter-high capsule for the crew and a service module. In contrast to the “Crew Dragon” of Elon Musk's company SpaceX it does not land in the water, but on the earth.

► The spaceship was in June after years of delays from Cape Canaveral in Florida for the first time to a manned test flight to ISS In the future, it will be used as an alternative to the “Crew Dragon“ space capsule will transport astronauts to the ISS.