Two NASA astronauts stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) since June have suffered another blow as their rescue mission is postponed again.
Veteran astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the ISS aboard Boeing’s doomed Starliner capsule with plans to stay for just eight days.
Due to an initial delay, the pair were told they would go home in February with two other astronauts.
However, they have now learned that they will not be stuck in space until March at the earliest – ten months after they first left home.
With the Starliner capsule returning to Earth empty in September, the pair have no choice but to wait for more help from SpaceX.
The latest delay gives SpaceX extra time to prepare its brand new capsule for launch.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, says, “Manufacturing, assembling, testing and ultimately integrating a new spacecraft is a painstaking undertaking that requires close attention to detail.”
Here’s how the daring rescue mission will work.
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Astronauts Suni Williams (left) and Butch Wilmore (right) were supposed to spend just a week in space, but have now been told their excruciating wait will continue for at least another month
Mission Commander Williams and Flight Engineer Wilmore took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5 for a test flight of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule.
The plan was to drive Starliner out of the atmosphere, perform a few test maneuvers and dock with the ISS for an eight-day stay before returning to Earth in the same capsule.
However, things started going wrong almost immediately for the trouble-plagued capsule, as the craft suffered bow thruster issues and a helium leak.
While Williams and Wilmore were safely delivered to the ISS, by the time Starliner arrived, further helium leaks had developed and five of the 28 thrusters had failed.
After weeks of testing, NASA decided it was not safe for the astronauts to return aboard the Starliner as originally planned.
In September, Starliner was returned to Earth empty, landing in New Mexico after slowing its descent with parachutes.
That choice left the Boeing test crew aboard the ISS without their vehicle until someone could be sent to pick them up.
In a humiliating blow to Boeing, NASA brought in the company’s archrival, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to carry out the rescue operation.
Williams and Wilmore launched in June from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The plan was to perform a test flight, dock with the ISS and return home after eight days
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was plagued by technical problems even before launch. By the time it arrived at the ISS, further helium leaks had developed and five of its 28 thrusters had failed.
Starliner (pictured) was returned to Earth empty in September after NASA decided it was not safe enough to fly
In September, shortly after Starliner’s return, NASA’s Crew 9 mission launched from Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon crew capsule.
Two of the mission’s original crew members stayed behind on Earth, freeing up a seat for Williams and Wilmore.
Crew 9 has reached the ISS safely, but Boeing’s stranded astronauts still cannot leave the station before a replacement crew arrives.
Under the original plan, NASA would send the four astronauts from Crew 10 to the ISS in February next year in a brand new SpaceX Dragon capsule.
After a “handoff period” to help Crew 10 get started, Williams, Wilmore and the members of Crew 9 would return to Earth in their original capsule at the end of the month.
However, NASA has now revealed that the new SpaceX capsule will not be ready in time to meet that deadline.
The capsule is not expected to arrive at the company’s processing facility in Florida until early January and will require more than a month of testing before it is ready.
NASA is now targeting no earlier than the end of March 2025 to launch the rescue crew, meaning Williams and Wilmore may not return to Earth until April.
Six months later, Williams and Wilmore are now working as part of the ISS crew as they await rescue. A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft arrived in September with two spare seats for the couple to return to, but they won’t be able to leave until a relief crew arrives in late March
Mr. Stich said: “We appreciate the SpaceX team’s hard work to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the flight readiness of the new capsule .’
NASA says it considered a number of alternative options, including using another Dragon spacecraft, but concluded this would be the best option.
The space agency claims the ISS is well stocked with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothing and oxygen, adding that a recent resupply has even brought in some “special items” to help celebrate the holidays.
But as Williams and Wilmore face a 10-month stay in space, there are growing concerns about the potential health consequences.
Images of mission commander Williams looking emaciated last month raised concerns that she may have been suffering from excessive weight loss or malnutrition.
Dr. David Shaker, an internist at Holy Name Physicians in Hackensack, New Jersey, previously told MailOnline: ‘This seems like low nutritional value to me – low calorie intake.’
While astronauts are in microgravity, they are at high risk of muscle breakdown because their bodies no longer have to strain against gravity.
This means that the ISS crew must exercise at least two hours a day on specially designed ‘weight lifting machines’, treadmills and exercise bikes to maintain their muscles.
Photos of Mission Commander Williams have since sparked health concerns due to her “skinny” appearance. Williams claims she actually arrived in space and that her unusual appearance is due to ‘fluid shift’
After all that work, an astronaut can burn as much as 3,500 calories a day while living on station.
However, the physiological and psychological effects of living in space often lead to a loss of appetite, which can make it difficult for astronauts to eat enough.
An unnamed NASA employee told the New York Post that Williams has trouble keeping up with the high-calorie diets astronauts must eat.
Despite these claims, Ms Williams says her unusually thin appearance is due to ‘fluid shift’ in the body caused by microgravity.
In space, the distribution of fluids in the body changes, which can cause astronauts’ faces to become swollen and take on an unusual appearance.
Mission Commander Williams recently responded to the suggestion of malnutrition, even saying she has gained weight since arriving on station.
“My thighs are a little bigger, my butt is a little bigger,” she said in a video.
But with at least three more months aboard the ISS ahead of them, NASA will be watching very closely to ensure Williams and Willmore stay healthy until they can finally return home.