Live Science wrote It is said that due to delay in Starliner, its Crew-9 mission launch has been postponed from August 18 to September 24. Only when the astronauts of the Crew-9 mission reach the ISS, the passengers of the Crew-8 mission will come to Earth from there. The Crew-9 mission cannot go to the ISS until a docking port is opened there. Boeing’s Starliner is currently stuck at the docking port where the Crew-9 mission is to be attached.
The special thing is that there is no final date yet for when Boeing’s spacecraft will return to Earth. NASA engineers are thinking that Starliner should be sent to Earth without a crew. It is also being thought that both the astronauts of Starliner should be brought to Earth by SpaceX vehicle in the beginning of the year 2025. If this happens, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will have to stay in space till next year.
What happened to Boeing Starliner?
On June 5, Starliner flew to the ISS and reached there the next day. While reaching the ISS, Starliner faced helium leaks and thruster problems four times. The malfunction in it increased with time and now it is stuck on the ISS.