Starliner astronauts will come home in February on a SpaceX Crew Dragon
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return in February 2025 on SpaceX Crew Dragon due to issues with Boeing Starliner's thrusters.
NASA has decided that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return to Earth in February 2025 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The Boeing Starliner they flew to the International Space Station in June will return uncrewed due to uncertainties around its thruster performance.
Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, indicated that there were significant concerns about predicting the Starliner’s thrusters' performance. As such, the potential risks associated with a crewed return flight were deemed too high, leading to this decision.
The Starliner flight test, initially intended to last just over a week, extended to nearly eight months. NASA plans to proceed with an uncrewed undocking process around early next month, emphasizing a commitment to safety and cautious decision-making.