---
title: "NASA Pushes Back Next SpaceX Astronaut Launch as Boeing Crisis Deepens"
description: "NASA is officially pushing back the upcoming launch of SpaceX's Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station."
date: "2024-08-07"
modified: "2024-08-07"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-pushes-back-spacex-astronaut-launch-boeing"
categories:
  - "Boeing"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "boeing"
  - "international space station"
  - "NASA"
  - "starliner"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Pushes Back Next SpaceX Astronaut Launch as Boeing Crisis Deepens

![NASA is officially pushing back the upcoming launch of SpaceX's Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/nasa-pushes-back-spacex-astronaut-launch-boeing.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA / Futurism\</em\>*

## Traffic Jam

NASA is [officially pushing back](<https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/06/science/nasa-spacex-crew-9-delay-boeing-starliner/index.html>) the upcoming launch of SpaceX's Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station, confirming earlier [reporting by *Ars Technica*](<https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/nasa-likely-to-significantly-delay-the-launch-of-crew-9-due-to-starliner-issues/>).

According to an [official update](<https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2024/08/06/nasa-adjusts-crew-9-launch-date-for-operational-flexibility/>), 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](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/retired-astronaut-boeing-starliner>) on the International Space Station for just over two months now due to [ongoing issues](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/signs-boeing-starliner-completely-failed>) 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](<https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/nasa-likely-to-significantly-delay-the-launch-of-crew-9-due-to-starliner-issues/>), 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](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-starliner-unable-fly-without-crew>) 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](<https://starlinerupdates.com/boeings-confidence-remains-high-in-starliners-return-with-crew/>) "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*](<https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/06/science/nasa-spacex-crew-9-delay-boeing-starliner/index.html>).

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](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-starliner-unable-fly-without-crew>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)