New Delhi: The US space agency NASA on Wednesday said astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore may return from the International Space Station (ISS) on SpaceX's Crew Dragon in February 2025.
They will return to Earth not on Boeing's Starliner after multiple technical issues were found with the spacecraft during the ongoing safety evaluations.
Boeing's Starliner capsule delivered the two astronauts to the ISS in June in its first crewed mission.
The propulsion system problems on Starliner led to extending their stay from the initial plan of eight days.
The technical issues raised concerns about astronauts’ safe return to Earth.
Boeing is carrying out rigorous testing to address problems including thruster failures and helium leaks.
The evaluation revealed that its overheating thrusters cause seals to warp restricting propellant flow and weakening thrust , according to the report.
These issues gave rise to arguments within NASA to opt for the safer alternative of Crew Dragon.
If Nasa rejects Starliner, it would be a setback to Boeing as it has spent $1.6 billion since 2016, including $125 million for the current test mission.
It is reported that Nasa is discussing with SpaceX to leave two seats empty for Wilmore and Williams on the upcoming Crew Dragon launch.
The plan is to bring the astronauts back to Earth in Early 2025 using SpaceX's Crew-9 mission to be launched in September 2024.
However, Nasa's Commercial Crew Program, which oversees Starliner, waiting for Boeing to conduct more testing.
It is reported that the space agency will take the decision whether to use Starliner or Crew Dragon by next week.