"NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate the spacecraft’s readiness, and no decisions have been made regarding Starliner’s return."
Traffic Jam
NASA is officially pushing back the upcoming launch of SpaceX's Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station, confirming earlier reporting by Ars Technica.
According to an official update, the mission — originally slated for August 18 — now won't launch until September 24 at the earliest.
It's a significant delay that could buy NASA some much-needed time to figure out what to do with its two stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the International Space Station for just over two months now due to ongoing issues plaguing Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
"This adjustment allows more time for mission managers to finalize return planning for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test currently docked to the orbiting laboratory," NASA wrote in its update. "NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate the spacecraft’s readiness, and no decisions have been made regarding Starliner’s return."
Lost in Space
The upcoming Crew-9 mission is currently scheduled to carry three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the station.
However, as Ars Technica reports, the agency is now pondering whether to launch the capsule with just two crew members on board to give Wilmore and Williams room for a ride back home.
After well over a month of delays, NASA is still stuck with the problem of Boeing's decrepit Starliner, which sprung several leaks during its journey to the orbital outpost. The viability of having the astronauts return on board the spacecraft remains anything but clear — and given the latest news, the space agency is keeping all its options open.
Worse yet, per Ars, the capsule's current flight software would need to be updated to allow it to autonomously undock and reenter the Earth's atmosphere without crew on board, a process that could take weeks.
Starliner's disastrous launch hasn't only affected the date of the Crew-9 mission. NASA also revealed that SpaceX's commercial resupply mission would slip to "no earlier than mid-October."
While Boeing remains "confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew," NASA administrator Bill Nelson will ultimately have the final say.
"His top priority, as always, is the safety of the crew," NASA’s acting press secretary Meira Bernstein told CNN.
NASA is hosting a news conference at 12:30 pm EDT today, so we'll likely hear more about its decision-making soon.
More on the situation: It Turns Out Boeing's Derelict Starliner Is Unable to Fly Without a Crew on Board
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