SpaceX Rescue Mission Could Have Stranded Starliner Crew Remain On ISS Until February
Back in June Boeing’s Starliner astronauts ran into a bit of a hitch in space. That crew has now been stuck aboard the aged space station for two months and, while SpaceX says they can come to the rescue, it’s going to take a while.
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00:00Back in June, Boeing Starliner astronauts ran into a bit of a hitch in space.
00:08Their newest flagship spacecraft malfunctioned with thruster issues, though luckily everyone
00:12made it to the International Space Station in one piece.
00:16That crew has now been stuck aboard the aged space station for two months, and while SpaceX
00:20says they can come to the rescue, it's going to take a while.
00:23Their plan would have the pair of Boeing astronauts await an Earth return until February.
00:28That's eight months from now, meaning the Starliner's planned one-week-ish mission
00:32just turned into a ten-month-long stay in space.
00:35The new Plan B mission would involve a bare-bones SpaceX Dragon crew ascending to the ISS.
00:40The Starliner crew would then return with them as an official part of their mission.
00:44Still, NASA is working with the Starliner crew to attempt to repair their spacecraft
00:48and have them return to Earth on it.
00:50They are still weighing the risks of both missions.
00:52So how do the astronauts feel about the wait?
00:55Well, they seem to be in good spirits, enjoying their extended time in Zero-G.