NASA has announced the process of bringing back Boeing’s Starliner astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to Earth after the Starliner experienced an error requiring a jet thruster test to ensure its functionality. Currently, NASA engineers are divided on whether to use the Starliner to bring both astronauts home or to wait for a return with Dragon spacecraft next year.
The Dragon spacecraft was scheduled for the Crew-9 mission to transport four astronauts to the International Space Station this month, but the mission has been delayed to September. One option being considered is to reduce the Crew-9 astronauts to 2 and bring back 2 astronauts from the Starliner next year.
Another issue if NASA chooses to have the Starliner astronauts return with the Dragon spacecraft is that the Starliner’s software currently lacks firmware for automatic undocking from the station, despite the software being used in a test mission back in 2022. The software adjustment process is expected to take up to 4 weeks.
Source: ArsTechnica
TLDR: NASA is deciding whether to bring back Starliner astronauts with Dragon due to software issues, causing potential delays and complications.
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