Nick Hague, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, began their return to Earth when they were initially scheduled for a mission lasting between one week and 10 days, according to a press release from the U.S. agency. Their stay has been extended due to technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, NASA said, adding that they are scheduled to splashdown in the Florida Sea this Tuesday at 17:57 EST (21:57 GMT). Astronauts Willmore and Williams’ initial plan to spend a week to 10 days on the ISS has been extended by 285 days.
U.S. astronauts Barry Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the ISS on June 5 on a maiden voyage of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that suffered propulsion problems.
These technical problems forced NASA to keep the couple in the orbital laboratory as a precaution, and the spacecraft returned in autonomous mode after undocking from the orbital laboratory.
William and Wilmore, plus Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who flew in September, will return in that Dragon on Tuesday and land at one of the prepared sea points off the west coast of Florida, the statement said.
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