NASA Astronauts to Return Home on SpaceX Flight: How Will it Work?

NASA has announced that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June due to issues with the Boeing Starliner, will return to Earth in 2025 on a SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

SpaceX will reconfigure its Dragon spacecraft with a 3D printed helmet and a single connection point for the flight under NASA's Commercial Crew program. The Starliner mission faced thruster problems in June 2022, adding to Boeing's recent crises.

NASA's decision to return the astronauts on SpaceX's Crew Dragon and bring Starliner back uncrewed is based on safety concerns. Despite the setbacks, NASA remains committed to the Starliner program and hopes to correct the problems for future crew flights.

In the meantime, Wilmore and Williams will continue conducting scientific experiments during their extended stay on the ISS. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, is also preparing for a private spacewalk mission called 'Polaris Dawn' which includes the first private spacewalk from the Dragon capsule without an airlock.