USA Space odyssey: ISS astronauts may be able to return sooner
Two US astronauts who have been stuck in the International Space Station (ISS) since June can now hope for an earlier flight home after all. It has been decided to use a "Dragon" capsule that has already been in use instead of a new one to transport the astronauts, according to the US space agency NASA. This capsule could probably be available as early as mid-March instead of the end of March - "if the mission is ready by then".
12.02.2025, 09:28
SDA
The launch date for the so-called "Crew 10", consisting of US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers as well as Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, is currently set for March 12. A few days after the arrival of the relief crew at the ISS, the two stranded astronauts Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore will return to Earth together with their colleagues Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov.
One week turned into almost ten months
Williams and Wilmore had flown to the human outpost about 400 kilometers above Earth in Boeing's "Starliner" at the beginning of June and were supposed to stay for about a week. Due to technical problems with the Starliner, NASA decided to bring the spacecraft back to Earth empty in September.
Williams and Wilmore are experienced astronauts who have already been in space and on the ISS several times. Nasa has repeatedly emphasized that the two are trained for all eventualities.
