NASA will employ a SpaceX spacecraft to transport two astronauts who are currently suspended at the International Space Station, as opposed to a Boeing spacecraft.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will transport astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore back to Earth in February, as opposed to the Boeing CST-100 Starliner that transported them to the space station and later encountered technical difficulties. The pair were originally scheduled to return to Earth two months ago.
Boeing will return the Starliner capsule from the International Space Station without the NASA astronauts who launched it into orbit in early June, according to the US space agency’s announcement on Saturday.
SpaceX Dragon is anticipated to launch its ninth regular mission to the International Space Station for the agency on September 24, following the Starliner’s return to Earth unoccupied. Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams will now board the Dragon.