Issues with Boeing's 'Starliner': NASA Plans ISS Mission for Astronauts

Boeing's 'Starliner' spacecraft has encountered problems, leading to changes in NASA's ISS mission plans. Due to technical issues with the Starliner's engines and helium leaks, two NASA astronauts, Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, will not be flying to the ISS as originally planned.

Instead, Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore will return to Earth in February 2025. The Starliner, which was supposed to spend only a week at the ISS, will now stay for over eight months. Safety concerns prevent the crewed Starliner from returning to Earth, and an unmanned Starliner will make its way back on September 6th.

NASA has chosen to bring the stranded astronauts back in a SpaceX vehicle. Boeing executives were reportedly enraged when NASA chose SpaceX for the rescue mission, as the Starliner project faces potential abandonment due to thruster malfunctions.