NASA Selects Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Rescue Astronauts Trapped in Space

NASA made an important decision by choosing SpaceX Dragon capsule bring back two astronauts trapped in space, dealing another blow to aerospace company BoeingThe agency said it had lost confidence in the capsule. Boeing Starliner, which will now return to Earth unmanned. It is reported IndependentThe rescue mission is scheduled for February 2025.

Sunita Williams And Barry “Butch” Wilmore will remain in International Space Station (ISS) until then, having been there since the beginning of June on a trip that was supposed to last a week.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelsonsaid the decision to choose SpaceX was driven by a “commitment to safety.” “Our core value is safety,” Nelson told reporters on Saturday. Nelson stressed that the capsule Starliner It will return without a crew, and the astronauts will return in February 2025.

Nelson added that he had held talks with Boeing’s new CEO. Kelly Ortbergwho assured that the company will continue to work on the Starliner capsule’s issues after it returns to Earth. “I want you to know that Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to get the data they needed to make this decision,” Nelson said.

SpaceXcompany Elon Muskhas been sending astronauts to the ISS since 2020. Instead of sending a full crew of four, SpaceX will only send two at launch. Dragon to the station in late September. The team, which will include Williams and Wilmore, will return home in February 2025According to a former cosmonaut Ken BowersoxThe decision to select SpaceX was “unanimous” among NASA officials.

BoeingFor its part, Boeing has previously insisted it still stands by Starliner despite mechanical problems en route to the ISS on June 6 during an eight-day mission. The June flight was the first crewed mission to the ISS for Starliner, Boeing’s flagship vehicle designed to compete with SpaceX for NASA contracts.

Boeing has been suffering from a production slowdown for years due to safety issues, leading to a series of federal investigations. Report Wall Street Journal indicates that the company is spending more US dollar 1 billion cash per month, and dozens of planes sat outside factories awaiting parts. The shortage of components left Boeing with about 200 aircraft almost completed parked at airfields, near factories and even in employee parking lots.

Problems Boeing It doesn’t stop there. The company also faces a series of lawsuits alleging poor manufacturing practices after a door stopper on 737 Max 9 exploded in flight Alaska Airlines in January. In addition, fatal incidents involving other people are remembered. Max planesone in Indonesia in 2018 and another in Ethiopia in 2019, where they died. 346 people.

At a tense Senate hearing in June, Boeing CEO David Calhounapologised to the families of the crash victims and said the company was “fully committed” to making future flights safe, the Independent reported.