NASA has provided a new update on the status of stranded astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have spent upwards of 245 days trapped on the International Space Station (ISS) and are awaiting return back to Earth.
Much attention has been paid to the stranded pair, as what was just a simple eight-day trip in June 2024 has turned into eight months and counting after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft encountered technical issues that stalled their return.
While their return flight - the SpaceX Crew-9 spacecraft - has been sat at the ISS for roughly the same amount of time that they've been there, protocol restrictions from NASA have meant that they've had to wait for a changeover before they can head back.
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This is to ensure that information is properly shared and that there is a seamless changeover between arriving and departing teams, yet on the ground the next flight - SpaceX Crew-10 - has also been encountering issues.
As reported by Ars Technica, it is indicated that the Crew-10's C213 Dragon capsule has experienced a battery issue that means it won't be ready for takeoff until at least April this year, leading to a change in plans that might bring Wilmore and Williams home sooner than expected.
NASA and SpaceX have now decided together to switch out the new C213 spacecraft for the experienced C210, as per the Daily Mail, and that would bring forward the expected return date to March, with the 19th in particular penciled in as their official landing date.
This would end an excruciatingly long stretch of time in space for the pair, where they've been left wondering how they'd adjust to life back on Earth with simple tasks like learning to walk again proving to be an unexpected challenge.
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There have also been a number of health concerns raised for Williams and Wilmore, as pictures showed the pair looking rather gaunt. On top of this, some have also expressed worries about bone density issues, but rigorous exercise routines conducted by the two astronauts should help curb this issue.
One of the major reasons for the expedited return schedule though is the dwindling food supplies, as waiting for the C213 Dragon to be completed would have left resources dangerously low, and the pair have already had to resort to eating soup made from their own urine.
Some might attribute their accelerated return schedule to the work of US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, as the former issued that SpaceX 'go get' the stranded astronauts, with the latter adding that it's "terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long."
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However, the delay is largely linked to issues with SpaceX's own spacecrafts as opposed to any federal hold up, and there's no indication that the switch to the C210 was prevented from happening by the Biden administration.