NASA Wants To Be Sure New Crew Dragon Spacecraft Is Ready

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will get to spend a few more weeks at the International Space Station (ISS). NASA says the additional delay is needed to make certain that the brand-new Crew Dragon spacecraft is adequately ‘processed’ to ensure a safe launch and return.

SpaceX is fabricating a completely new Crew Dragon spacecraft with two empty seats for the returning NASA astronauts. Those two empty seats must be specially designed and outfitted because the NASA spacesuits are different than the gear worn by SpaceX astronauts.

In case you haven’t heard by now, Wilmore and Williams traveled to the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which somehow (!) sprang a couple helium leaks and then due to an unknown cause, five of its maneuvering jets had lost an indeterminate amount of thrust and were deemed unreliable.

NASA made the decision to leave the astronauts at the ISS and return the empty Starliner to Earth where it landed safely and in one piece at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Steve Stich, manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said in a statement, “Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail. We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule's readiness for flight."

NASA said that the replacement astronauts will fly aboard the newly-built Crew Dragon no earlier than late March or early April. After a ‘handover period’ of uncertain duration Wilmore and Williams will then return to Earth on the Crew Dragon.

Stay tuned…

FMI:  www.nasa.gov/