'By March 19': NASA's Sunita Williams' return may delay Indian astronaut’s ISS mission
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Produced by Tarun Mishra
NASA and SpaceX are working to resolve a scheduling issue affecting the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS). The delay could impact the launch of India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on the Axiom-04 mission.
SpaceX had planned to bring back Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on the Crew-10 mission using a newly built Dragon spacecraft. However, battery-related technical difficulties have postponed its deployment, affecting NASA’s mission timeline.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were initially scheduled to return in February, but NASA now anticipates that the Dragon spacecraft will not be ready before April. This uncertainty has led officials to explore alternative return options.
NASA is considering using the Dragon spacecraft originally assigned to the Axiom-4 mission, which includes ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, to transport Crew-10 instead. This would delay the launch of Axiom-4, originally planned for spring.
The spacecraft assigned to Axiom-4 previously flew the Crew-7 mission. If repurposed for Crew-10, it will be used to return Crew-9 astronauts, including Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, possibly by March 19, according to the new date given by NASA.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who arrived at the ISS in June 2023 for a brief mission, have been stranded due to multiple failures in Boeing’s Starliner capsule. NASA opted to send Starliner back to Earth without crew, leaving the astronauts awaiting SpaceX’s return mission.
Despite the extended stay, both astronauts remain in good health. Recently, they set a new milestone by conducting their first spacewalk together, spending over five hours outside the ISS. Their return depends on SpaceX’s ability to resolve technical issues with Dragon.
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