Sunita Williams in space: NASA delays SpaceX Crew 9 liftoff amid uncertainty over Boeing Starliner’s return

Did issues with Boeing's Starliner delay SpaceX Crew 9 launch? The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on Tuesday that it has decided to postpone the launch of the agency’s Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by a month. The Crew 9 launch has now been pushed to September 24.

NASA hopes that the move will give them more time to evaluate Boeing's Starliner spacecraft's readiness.

"This adjustment allows more time for mission managers to finalize return planning for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test currently docked to the orbiting laboratory," a NASA press release read.

It added, "Starliner ground teams are taking their time to analyze the results of recent docked hot-fire testing, finalize flight rationale for the spacecraft’s integrated propulsion system, and confirm system reliability ahead of Starliner’s return to Earth."

"NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate the spacecraft’s readiness, and no decisions have been made regarding Starliner’s return," the release said.

The Starliner capsule brought two NASA astronauts – Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore – to the ISS on June 6. It's return has been delayed due to anomalies detected in its propulsion system during its flight. 

The mission was expected to return by mid-June. However, the return has now spent two months in space, with the mission's return date still being uncertain.

The Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) is the first-ever astronaut mission of Boeing's new Starliner capsule.

It was widely speculated that the SpaceX Crew 9 launch will be delayed amid uncertainty over the Starliner's return from space. It's said that there are no free docking ports at the ISS to accommodate the Crew-9 mission until the Starliner or Crew-8’s Dragon spacecraft depart the ISS.

The SpaceX flight was supposed to carry out the next group of four ISS crew members, dubbed Crew-9, in mid-August, to relieve the current foursome known as "Crew-8" currently aboard the space station.

The Crew-9 flight is now scheduled to liftoff by September 24 at the earliest. It could bring back the two astronauts – Williams and Wilmore, and only two Crew-8 members, giving Boeing more time to fix issues with its spacecraft.

"NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station," a press release from NASA read.

The Starliner, which also had helium leaks detected during its voyage, could also return unmanned if safety issues are not resolved. NASA was planning a press conference on Wednesday to provide updates on both Crew-9 and the Starliner spacecraft.