NASA has announced a change in its upcoming SpaceX crew mission, deciding to remove astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson from the flight to make room for two astronauts currently stranded at the International Space Station (ISS). This decision was made based on factors such as spaceflight experience. Cardman and Wilson, who were initially scheduled to be part of the mission, are expected to be included in future missions instead.
The adjusted crew for the SpaceX launch in September will now include NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. They will travel to the ISS to bring back the two astronauts currently stranded there, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. Williams and Wilmore, who began what was supposed to be a one-week mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner in June, have had their stay extended due to technical issues with their spacecraft, such as helium leaks and thruster malfunctions. Due to these problems, the Boeing Starliner capsule is expected to return empty to Earth as early as next Friday, with a planned landing in the New Mexico desert.