NASA made the decision to remove two astronauts from the next crew in order to accommodate the return trip for two astronauts currently stuck at the International Space Station. Nick Hague and Russian Aleksandr Gorbunov are set to launch in September aboard a SpaceX rocket to the orbiting laboratory, with plans to return in February alongside Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. This decision was made due to safety concerns regarding Williams and Wilmore flying home in their Boeing Starliner capsule, which has been plagued by thruster troubles and helium leaks.
As a result of this change, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were bumped from the SpaceX flight, with NASA indicating that they may have the opportunity to fly on future missions. NASA considered various factors, including spaceflight experience, in making this decision.
Since the retirement of the shuttles, the U.S. has relied on Russia to transport crews to the space station until SpaceX began carrying astronauts in 2020. The upcoming crew rotations will see NASA's Don Pettit launching to the space station while Tracy Dyson returns to Earth on Russian capsules.
NASA's shift towards utilizing private businesses for crew transportation began a decade ago, with the goal of having two competing U.S. companies ferrying astronauts in the post-shuttle era. Williams and Wilmore, who were Boeing's first crew, arrived at the space station in June for what was intended to be a weeklong stay. Their capsule is expected to return empty, aiming for a touchdown in the New Mexico desert as early as next Friday.
