NASA on Friday cut two astronauts from the next crew to make room on the return trip for them two attached to the International Space Station.
NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian Aleksandr Gorbunov will be launched in September on board a SpaceX rocket for the circuit laboratory. The duo returns with Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore in February. NASA decided it was too risky for Williams and Wilmore to fly home in their Boeing Starliner capsule, marred by thruster problems and helium leaks.
Struck from SpaceX flight: NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson. NASA said they could fly on future missions.
The space agency said it took into account spaceflight experience and other factors in making the decision.
After the shuttles were retired, the United States relied on Russia to ferry crews to the space station until SpaceX began carrying astronauts in 2020. The two countries have continued to swap locations. Next month, NASA’s Don Pettit will launch to the space station while NASA’s Tracy Dyson will return to Earth on Russian capsules.
NASA turned to private companies a decade ago, wanting two competing American companies to ferry astronauts in the post-shuttle era.
Williams and Wilmore were the Boeing’s first crew, arriving at the space station in June for what was supposed to be a weeklong stay. Their capsule will return empty as early as next Friday, aiming for a landing moment in the New Mexico desert.
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