Boeing Starliner astronauts will return to Earth in March 2025 after new NASA, SpaceX delay

[Admin]

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will stay in space an extra month, until March 2025, giving SpaceX more time to complete a new Crew Dragon capsule.

Boeing Starliner astronauts will return to Earth in March 2025 after new NASA, SpaceX delay : Read more

 

[Mike Placentra]

Why didn’t Williams and Wilmore return on the mission that left two seats open for them? I believe it was the Crew 9 launch? I don’t see an explanation in this story.

 

[GregB03]

From the article:
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"Crew-10 was originally slated to fly in February, but it has been pushed back to allow time for SpaceX to complete work on a brand-new Crew Dragon spacecraft for the mission, NASA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The delay means at least an extra month aboard the ISS for the astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-9 flight, who won't depart the orbital laboratory until after Crew-10's arrival."
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NASA likes to have an overlap between the arrival of a new crew and the departure of the prior crew to have an orderly change out of the crews.

 

[Classical Motion]

Lost in Space. And did not go anywhere.

 

[trailrider]

The two empty seats are for Williams and Wilmore in case an emergency evacuation from the station becomes necessary. As far as the delay produced by certification of the new Crew Dragon is concerned, I'm sure SpaceX wants to be sure it is completely checked out without rushing the process. I wonder if W & W get extra per diem for their extended stay?