The return of NASA’s Starliner astronauts has encountered yet another delay.

Initially, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were only expected to stay at the International Space Station for a few days after arriving in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on its first test flight. However, their return has been postponed several times, leading NASA to determine in August that the safest option would be to transport them back to Earth using a SpaceX Dragon vehicle in February.

Now, the experienced astronauts will remain in orbit for at least another month following NASA’s announcement on Tuesday about the delay of the mission designated to send their replacements.

The SpaceX mission known as Crew-10 is now scheduled to launch no earlier than late March. Once the new crew arrives at the space station, Crew-9, which includes Wilmore and Williams, will finally be able to leave.

Crew-10 delayed due to new SpaceX vehicle: Mission details

The launch of Crew-10 was postponed to allow SpaceX more time to prepare a new capsule for liftoff. According to NASA, the Dragon spacecraft is expected to arrive at SpaceX’s processing facility in Florida in early January, prompting consideration of using another capsule to maintain the schedule.

“Building, assembling, testing, and integrating a new spacecraft is an intensive process that requires a lot of precision,” stated Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager. “We are grateful for the effort by the SpaceX team to enhance the Dragon fleet to support our missions, as well as the adaptability of the station program and the expedition crews.”

The Crew-10 mission, which is the tenth SpaceX mission hired by NASA to ferry astronauts to the space station for approximately six-month rotations, comprises four crew members:

• NASA astronaut Anne McClain from Spokane, Washington, serves as mission commander;
• NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers from Colorado, is the mission pilot;
• Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), acts as a mission specialist;
• Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov also serves as a mission specialist.

Williams and Wilmore to come back on Crew-9 vehicle

This postponement adds to a series of challenges faced by the mission, which had problems even before its June liftoff, including two launch cancellations.

Upon reaching the International Space Station, the crew discovered some technical problems with the vehicle, which ultimately resulted in the craft having to return to Earth without the astronauts on board. As a consequence, NASA decided to have SpaceX take on the responsibility of bringing Starliner astronauts Wilmore and Williams home.

Wilmore and Williams were then incorporated into the Crew-9 mission when the SpaceX Dragon vehicle designated for their return arrived in late September with two additional slots allocated for them.

The Crew-9 mission originally included NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and was expected to conclude in February, but NASA has since announced a delay. The Crew-9 team will have the opportunity to return to Earth shortly after Crew-10 arrives, following a transitional period.

NASA has ensured that all Expedition 72 astronauts aboard the space station have received the necessary supplies, including food and clothing, after recent resupply missions in November.

Future plans for the Boeing Starliner

The Boeing Starliner successfully undocked autonomously on September 6 and landed smoothly in the New Mexico desert.

Boeing executives were optimistic that a successful mission would showcase the capability needed to gain NASA’s approval for Starliner to conduct regular flights to orbit alongside SpaceX for the U.S. space agency.

However, Boeing now faces significant challenges to ensure Starliner is ready for the consistent transportation of crews and cargo to the International Space Station. According to NASA officials, more ground testing and possible adjustments to the spacecraft are necessary to fix issues with its propulsion system and prepare it for regular space operations.

In contrast, SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has been successfully delivering astronauts and supplies to the space station using its Dragon spacecraft since 2020.

NASA invested billions into both Boeing and SpaceX as part of its commercial crew program. Recently, the agency has changed its approach, opting to pay private firms for specific missions that it would previously conduct itself, aiming to reduce overall costs.