NASA says astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to be back within a week when they hit the ground running in June.
Their stay was extended until February next year due to technical problems with the Starliner experimental spacecraft built by Boeing.
After the launch of a new capsule to the ISS was delayed, the pair will now not be back until the end of March or possibly April.
NASA said the delay posed no risk to the astronauts.
In a statement, NASA said: “The International Space Station conducted two resupply flights in November and is well equipped with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothing and oxygen. The resupply spacecraft also carried special items for the crew.” Celebrate the holidays aboard the orbital platform.
Most space station missions last six months, some even a full year. Therefore, extending Butch and Suni’s already overdue stay in space shouldn’t be a problem, according to Dr. Simeon Barber from the Open University.
“I’m sure they’re already disappointed that they would miss Christmas at people’s homes. But that’s just another two months on an already pretty long mission, and I’m sure if you ask them, it’s me.” I’m sure they’d tell you that the space station is the place they like to be.” he said.
A new crew must launch before Wilmore and Williams can return, and the next mission has been delayed by more than a month, according to the space agency.
The next four-person NASA crew for the ISS was scheduled to launch in February 2025. The capsule carrying this crew was intended to bring home Butch and Sunni, as well as NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, as part of the normal crew rotation.
However, private company SpaceX experienced delays in preparing a brand new Dragon capsule for the mission. Flight readiness should now be achieved at the end of March at the earliest.
NASA said it is considering using another SpaceX capsule to fly in the replacement crew to keep the flights on schedule.
But now it has been decided that the best option is to wait for the new capsule to transport the next crew.
