Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Astronauts Stranded on ISS for Nine Months Set to Return This Weekend

A SpaceX mission launching today aims to facilitate the return of two astronauts delayed by spacecraft issues since June.

Les astronautes Butch Wilmore et Suni Williams avant leur départ, à Cap Canaveral (Floride), le 5 juin.
Image
Partis dans l’espace pour une mission de huit jours, Suni Williams et Butch Wilmore, deux vétérans de l’espace, sont coincés depuis juin dernier dans la Station spatiale internationale.

Overview

  • Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, originally sent to the ISS for an eight-day mission, have been stranded for nine months due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
  • A SpaceX Crew-10 mission is scheduled to launch today at 7:48 PM local time from Cape Canaveral, carrying a new crew to the ISS and paving the way for their return.
  • The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS on Thursday, initiating a brief crew handover period before the stranded astronauts can depart.
  • If weather conditions permit, the Dragon spacecraft carrying Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts from Crew-9 will leave the ISS on Sunday and splash down off the U.S. East Coast.
  • The prolonged stay has drawn political attention, with Elon Musk and Donald Trump criticizing the previous administration for alleged neglect, while Musk claims SpaceX could have acted sooner.