NASA Keeps Astronauts in Space: Starliner's 'Snowflake' Issues Strike Again

NASA bigwigs announced Saturday that astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams are in for a long haul aboard the International Space Station (ISS) – eight months, to be exact. Buckle up, folks!

Butch and Suni will be playing the long game until February. Why, you ask? Well, a flight readiness review deemed the Boeing Starliner too risky for a crewed return. Shocker, right?

So, the Starliner will mosey on back to Earth empty-handed, freeing up a docking port for the SpaceX Crew-9, scheduled to arrive on Sept. 24. And guess who's hitching a ride home with them? You got it – Butch and Suni! NASA Admin Bill Nelson confirmed this this at a news conference.

"Safety first, folks," Nelson said, channeling his inner boy scout. "Our core value is safety. I'm grateful to NASA and Boeing for their incredible work to reach this decision."

And just like that, the mystery surrounding Butch and Suni's fate is solved. They arrived at the ISS on June 6 for what was supposed to be a brief stay. Plot twist!

'Stuck' in space? Not the first time, won't be the last. Remember Frank Rubio's record-setting delayed return?

The Lowdown on the Starliner

Built to ferry crews and supplies to the ISS, the Starliner's had its share of hiccups. Another flight readiness review – a rare mid-mission occurrence – was needed to see if the Starliner could safely bring the crew home after various issues cropped up.

Boeing Starliner: A Saga of Setbacks

Even before the Starliner launched on June 5, trouble was brewing. Once docked at the ISS, engineers found helium leaks and propulsion system problems, delaying the Starliner's return.

Amidst this chaos, NASA postponed the SpaceX Crew-9 launch, originally set for August. Why? Because the Crew-9 Dragon capsule can't dock until Starliner moves. So, mark your calendars – no launch before Sept. 24, NASA said.

The delay gave NASA and Boeing time to crunch Starliner data for the review. But it also means Starliner will undock solo, making an autonomous return. With Butch and Suni needing a lift, Crew-9 will be a duo instead of a quartet, NASA confirmed.

The Starliner duo will hitch a ride back with Crew-9 on Feb. 25, once the SpaceX astronauts wrap up their six-month stint at the station. Stay tuned, space cowboys!