--- title: "Stranded Astronauts’ Trip Back to Earth Has Been Postponed Yet Again" description: "The two NASA astronauts stranded in space after the failure of Boeing's Starliner will have to wait even longer to return to Earth." date: "2024-12-18" modified: "2024-12-18" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/stranded-astronauts-return-postponed" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "NASA" - "starliner" - "the digest" --- # Stranded Astronauts’ Trip Back to Earth Has Been Postponed Yet Again ![The two NASA astronauts stranded in space after the failure of Boeing's Starliner will have to wait even longer to return to Earth.]() *\Image: Paul Hennessy / Anadolu via Getty / Futurism\* ## Hold Up Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the two NASA astronauts who were left stranded aboard the International Space Station following the [failure of Boeing's Starliner](), will have to wait even longer before they can return to Earth. That's because NASA has decided to delay the launch of its upcoming SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which will ferry four fresh astronauts to the orbital outpost, to March 2025. Wilmore, Williams, and two other crew members will have to sit tight until the new expedition team arrives before they can hitch a ride back home on the previous Crew-9, which is still docked at the station. Originally slated for February, the delay "gives NASA and SpaceX teams time to complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission," the space agency [announced Tuesday in a statement](). ## Shoddy Spacecraft It must be a gut punch for Wilmore and Williams, who have been stuck on the ISS since June. What was originally meant to be a trip no longer than ten days is now shaping up to last at least eight or nine months. Being the consummate professionals that they are, though, we're sure they'll take it in stride. Their unexpectedly lengthy stay was caused by their ride to the space station, Starliner. Last summer, the plagued Boeing spacecraft launched with helium leaks that were identified beforehand but were deemed not severe enough to be problematic. That prognosis couldn't have been more wrong. By the time Starliner arrived at the ISS, so many leaks had sprung — while its thrusters were soon [found to be malfunctioning]() — that NASA judged the vehicle too dangerous to bring passengers aboard for a return trip. And so, in a huge embarrassment for NASA and Boeing, it [hurtled back to Earth empty-handed](). ## Rotation Device The decision was made in August [to use a SpaceX Crew Dragon space capsule]() to return the marooned spacefarers. Crew-9 launched the following month with a reduced two-person crew to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the way back, following a brief "handover" period in which the outgoing crewmembers brief the incoming ones. The stranded pair will also be joined by fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. But prepping the follow-up Dragon capsule that will rotate in their replacements comes with its own challenges. "Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail," Steve Stich, program manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said in the recent announcement. The new Dragon capsule is scheduled to arrive at SpaceX's processing facility in Florida in early January, the agency said. When it launches, commencing mission Crew-10, it will carry NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to the ISS. **More on spacefarers:** *[Astronaut Who Was Stranded in Space Laments Missing Thanksgiving and Child's Graduation]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()