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Politics
Anna Marie Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Waikato

As the rescued astronauts return, space law is still in orbit over who’s responsible when missions go wrong

Butch Wilmore Suni Williams Earth Blue Origin International Space Station NASA Space Station SpaceX
Getty Images

Now back on Earth thanks to Space X’s Dragon capsule, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be breathing fresh air again after a gruelling nine months onboard the International Space Station.

Stranded in June 2024 after their experimental Boeing Starliner spacecraft malfunctioned and was deemed too risky to carry passengers back to Earth, their stay was further extended last week when the recovery mission was postponed due to launchpad problems.

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