On June 5th, 2024, Boeing assigned American astronauts Barry Willmore and Sunita Williams to a test mission at the ISS. They expected to be home in a matter of only a few days, but helium leaks in the space capsule prevented them from returning home.
For almost 5 months they have been stuck in space, most unfortunately for them, they expect to spend Christmas and New Years in space. Although they are in a very unfortunate situation, they are taking advantage of the situation by performing various experiments for the ISS.
Space X launched a rescue mission on September 28th, Saturday for the stranded astronauts. Even with Space X’s rescue mission, they expect to spend more than 8 months in space. Officials expressed that it would be hard to rescue the stranded astronauts without interrupting Space X’s schedule.
The Boeing company, after months of manipulating the software on the capsule to plug the helium leaks, decided to bring the space capsule back without the astronauts aboard. The craft successfully arrived from the space station and the astronauts will return to earth with the help of Space X next year. Though Boeing felt the capsule was safe, the company wanted to exercise caution with the lives of their astronauts.
Space X still plans to rescue the stranded astronauts. They will spend over eight months in space, getting supplies sent to them when needed. They will perform experiments such as fluid physics, plant facility maintenance, robotic operations and observations of earth until their long delayed return to planet earth.